Social media restricted
Authorities in Burundi cut access to social media networks early on Wednesday morning.
NetBlocks.org, an organisation monitoring internet shutdowns, analysed traffic from Burundi's three major internet providers and determined that access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had been restricted.
⚠️ Alert: Social media and messaging apps disrupted in #Burundi on election day; real-time network data show Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp unavailable via leading network operators; incident ongoing 📉 📰 https://t.co/lPlbogsFLZ pic.twitter.com/T9CGP2wPB8 - NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) May 20, 2020
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Willy Nyamitwe, a advisor to Nkurunziza and former government spokesperson, denied that the internet in Burundi had been severed, but did not address the cut to social networks.
Social media users in Burundi reported having to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass the government's restrictions.