The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), an organization that tracks online censorship, found Wednesday that access to social networks and messaging services had been restored to Ethiopia after five months of restriction. An Agence France Presse (AFP) journalist in Addis Ababa confirmed the block was removed, accessing Facebook, Instagram and TikTok without a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

The ban, which was announced in February, was imposed in response to escalating political tensions and civil unrest following protests in November 2022. It drew widespread criticism from human rights activists and digital rights organizations. The government argued that the ban was necessary to control the dissemination of misinformation and restore order, but its prolonged enforcement raised concerns about potential violations of freedom of expression and access to information.

The ban affected millions of Ethiopians who heavily rely on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram for communication, information dissemination and social networking. OONI has recorded over 24 shutdowns to date since the year 2016 in the country. Between 2015 and 2017, the Northern region of Ethiopia faced significant street protests, leading to several instances of interrupted connectivity.