Internet has been restored to millions of people in Afghanistan, two days after the Taliban suspended service.
It comes weeks after local authorities in one province banned fibre-optic internet as a way to crack down on what they described as immoral behaviour.
The United Nations’ office in the country condemned the move, warning it risked worsening “one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”
Taliban
The Taliban is an extremist Islamist group that held power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
In 2021, it seized power again after the U.S. (and allies, including Australia) withdrew troops from Afghanistan.
The Taliban has since imposed several restrictions on women, including banning them from high schools, universities, and most forms of employment.
It has said its laws “are derived from Islamic sources”.
Shut down
On 29 September, international internet watchdog NetBlocks reported a “collapse in internet access” across Afghanistan.
Its live network data showed connectivity had fallen to 30% of normal levels. Kabul, the capital city, was among the hardest hit.
Later that day, NetBlocks said connectivity had halved again, dropping to 14%.
The group said the outage would “severely limit the public’s ability to contact the outside world”.
The following day, NetBlocks confirmed Afghanistan was “in the midst of a total internet blackout”. The UN believes more than 43 million people were impacted.
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NetBlocks said multiple networks had been disconnected, with telephone services also affected.
Overnight, the group reported there had been a “partial restoration”.
NetBlocks has accused the Taliban of experimenting with “censorship mechanisms,” and misleading the public with claims of a fibre-optic cable “replacement” program.
Human Rights
The UN issued an urgent warning to the Taliban earlier this week, warning of the blackout’s “immediate and far-reaching consequences”.
The organisation said the outage affected “critical banking and financial systems,” limited residents’ access to emergency services and aid, and disrupted flights.
The UN said the move further breached the “access to information and freedom of expression” in Afghanistan.
Last month, a 6.0-magnitude quake hit eastern Afghanistan. It killed around 2,000 people, injured 3,600, and damaged 8,500 homes.
UN humanitarian coordinator Indrika Ratwatte, who is based in Kabul, said the blackout hindered aid efforts in remote communities that are “still struggling to recover”.
“This is another crisis on top of the existing crisis… the impact is going to be on the lives of people,” Ratwatte said.
Access
The shutdown comes shortly after authorities in the province of Balkh began disconnecting high-speed internet access and banning fibre-optic cables.
The authorities cited an order from the group’s supreme leader, describing the move as a measure to “prevent evil”.
The Taliban has yet to publicly comment on the reason for the national blackout.
