Kinshasa, August 17, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to restore mobile telecommunications and internet services that have been
cut off for more than a month
in the Fizi Territory, which includes the city of Baraka, in the eastern province of South Kivu.
“The intensification of the war in South Kivu province must under no circumstances serve as a pretext for blocking mobile and internet access, depriving local populations of their right to be informed about the conflict and other issues while disrupting their social and economic activities. DRC authorities must lift the measures to foster the free flow of information, rather than fuel rumors in Fizi and Baraka,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Cutting off internet access, SMS, and phone calls infringes upon the rights to information and communication freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as by
Article 24
of the DRC constitution.”
Mobile telecommunications networks and internet
access
have been
cut
in Fizi Territory since July 3, impacting people’s ability to make calls, send SMS messages, and communicate using online applications, according to three local journalists, who spoke to the CPJ after fleeing to Uganda and Burundi due to the escalating armed conflict. Without internet access, journalists are
unable
to research, publish online, or communicate securely with sources.
Local press have reported that the shutdown may relate to
security concerns
in the region. The shutdowns came as clashes
intensified
in the Minembwe highlands, particularly in the Kalingi, Mikenge, and Point Zéro sectors, where fierce fighting is taking place between the government army and Twirwaneho rebels, which is allied with the M23 and the Congo River Alliance (AFC).
Individuals and media outlets possessing private connections through satellite internet provider Starlink had their equipment
seized
by g
