Damage to submarine cables leading to network disruptions in multiple East African countries

According to the AFP report on May 12, the global network monitoring organization "Network Block" said that Internet access in several East African countries was interrupted on Sunday due to the damage of submarine cables.

The organization stated that Tanzania and the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean have the most severe network disruptions.

The organization stated on social media platform X that the reason was a malfunction in the region's "ocean network" Fiber Optic Cable and "East Africa submarine cable system.".

According to Nape Nnauye, an official from the Tanzanian information and technology department, the fault occurred on the cable between Mozambique and South Africa.

The "Network Block" organization said that Mozambique and Malawi were moderately affected, while Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Uganda, Comoros and Madagascar were slightly disconnected.

The West African country of Sierra Leone has also been affected.

The Network Block organization stated that network services in Kenya have been restored, but many users have reported unstable network connections.

Safari Communications, Kenya's largest telecommunications operator, has stated that it has "initiated redundancy measures" to minimize interference.