Internet Outage in a Critical Week: By-Election and Supreme Court Ruling Raise Concerns in Liberia

Michael T
Apr 21
2 min read

Liberia is poised to face a week-long internet disruption from April 23 to 28, 2025, as the Cable Consortium of Liberia (CCL) conducts urgent repairs on the undersea Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) fiber optic cable. The timing of this outage—immediately following the Nimba County by-election on April 22 and coinciding with an anticipated Supreme Court ruling—has sparked widespread public concern and speculation about its potential impact on electoral transparency, communication, and democratic processes2 3 6.

Originally scheduled for March, the cable repairs were delayed without public explanation. The newly announced dates overlap with significant political events, fueling skepticism and debate among citizens and activists about the motives behind the timing. Many have taken to social media to question whether the outage could undermine the transparency of the by-election and restrict access to information during a landmark Supreme Court decision2.

Government and ISP Response

The CCL, with support from Orange Liberia and other ISPs, has pledged to minimize disruptions, promising backup services and alternative routing to cushion the impact. The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) and government officials have urged calm, emphasizing that the repair is a technical necessity and not politically motivated. They maintain that every effort is being made to ensure connectivity for key national events3 5 6.

Infrastructure and Accountability Issues

The need for repairs stems from damage to the ACE cable caused by the construction of PHP Park in Monrovia, where heavy rocks were placed over the cable’s landing point. Despite warnings from CCL and telecom operators, the construction proceeded, resulting in persistent outages and now necessitating major rerouting work3 5 6 7 9 10. The incident has reignited debate over Liberia’s digital infrastructure planning, the need for better coordination between development projects and critical communications, and the importance of regulatory oversight3 5 7 10 12.

Democratic Integrity at Stake

Civil society groups and international digital rights organizations stress that uninterrupted internet access is essential for electoral transparency, free expression, and civic engagement—especially during elections and major judicial decisions4. Liberia has a recent history of internet and social media restrictions during politically sensitive periods, raising further alarm about the coincidence of this outage with crucial democratic events4.

While the CCL and government insist the outage is unavoidable and apolitical, the lack of transparency in scheduling and the overlap with key democratic milestones have eroded public trust. The episode highlights the urgent need for robust, resilient infrastructure and transparent communication to protect democratic integrity and public confidence during critical national moments2 3 4 5 6.

Additional Sources

Internet Outage in a Critical Week: By-Election and Supreme Court Ruling Raise Concerns in Liberia

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