Within the space of a few hours on Sunday 16th April, MTN Sudan was ordered by the state regulator to block then restore access to internet services amidst escalating fighting in the country.
Two MTN officials confirmed to Reuters that the operator had been ordered to shut down services, while on Sunday users in Sudan confirmed that access had been restored.
On Saturday, fighting broke out between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group known as Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The factions are respectively loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council, and its deputy head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
As of Sunday, the army appeared to have gained the upper hand in the power struggle, which has reportedly seen scores of fighters killed and injured, with at least 97 civilians reported killed in the conflict.
