Journalists struggle to work amid extended internet shutdowns in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Kashmir

Can the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia keep it together? Change has become increasingly bloody it The internet is routinely cut off in Ethiopia, CPJ has noted, including a nationwide shutdown in June 2020. The internet has been disrupted in Tigray since November 2020, when conflict broke out in the regional state, according to media reports. Officials have blamed the ousted Tigray leadership for the disconnection and Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecommunications monopoly, said in December that it was making repairs. In an email to CPJ in mid-April 2021, Billene Seyoum Woldeyes, a spokesperson for the Ethiopian prime minister’s office, said that the authorities did not cause the disruption and did not respond to a follow up question about why it had not been fixed. Ethio Telecom did not respond to CPJ’s social media message requesting comment about the ongoing problems.

Twitter Campaign – World Bank and IMF

World Bank- 1
  1. The @WorldBank should not even consider privatization of @ethiotelecom. Bids that could bring revenue into the hands of a war criminal such as @AbiyAhmedAli should be examined closely. His values are not rooted into the WB mission. @DavidMalpassWBG@KGeorgieva #TigrayGenocide

2. Ethiopia is guilty of ethnic cleansing & has one of the current worst humanitarian crisis in the world. @WorldBank, shame on your role in privatization of @ethiotelecom knowing that it will put money into the hands of war criminals like @AbiyAhmedAli. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

3. Investing in @ethiotelecom while @AbiyAhmedAli is orchestrating a genocidal war will cause more instability in the Horn of Africa. Is your governance truly aligned with the @WorldBank mission? #TigrayGenocide @DavidMalpassWBG @wallyadeyemo @SecYellen https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-tigray-minority-ethnic-cleansing-sudan-world-news-842741eebf9bf0984946619c0fc15023

4. @WorldBank must stay away from the privatization of @ethiotelecom. This is a grave mistake with consequences. Profits gained have the potential to fund a war. As leaders, are you choosing to play a role in the #TigrayGenocide?@KGeorgieva @SecYellen https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

5. Privatizing @ethiotelecom has the potential to increase investment capital by attracting foreign investment & raising revenue for the government. This revenue could indirectly fund the #TigrayGenocide. @WorldBank, do you due diligence. @carmenmreinhart https://www.theafricareport.com/39864/ethiopia-the-case-for-partial-privatization-of-ethio-telecom/

6. The @WorldBank has plans to invest $200 million in the Ethiopia’s digital economy. The global community is very concerned that profits from privatizations will indirectly support the #TigrayGenocide. Your attention to this matter is needed. @SecYellen https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/why-ethiopia-needs-open-its-telecom-market

7. @WorldBank & @DFCgov must refrain from participating in the privatization of @ethiotelecom. It is negligent to approve this. Any profit gained has a massive potential to fund #TigrayGenocide. Please, do better.@SPimentaIFC @KGeorgieva @carmenmreinhart https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

8. Ethiopian troops, Amhara militias & Eritrean forces are committing weaponized rape against women & girls in Tigray. @WorldBank @MyGovKe should halt disbursement of funds until a @UN-mandated investigation of war crimes & #TigrayGenocide is over. @DFCgov https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-sexual-assault.html

9. @WorldBank’s 4th core is supposed to be Integrity. Funds must never be misused & WB should ensure that. You have a responsibility to uphold good governance.As financial leaders you must be held accountable. #TigrayGenocide @SPimentaIFC @FeridBelhaj https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-looking-into-reports-of-ethiopian-military-executing-unarmed-men-after-cnn-investigation/ar-BB1fmjL9

10. Are you aware that @AbiyAhmedAli is trying to fund his war on Tigray with your help? We ask that @MTNGroup does their due diligence & cancel bids for @ethiotelecom. #TigrayGenocide@wimMTNUG @StephenBlewett @jschultebockum @DioumSerigne1 @PaulNormanMTN https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

World Bank – 2
  1. @WorldBank may intend to end poverty, but where is the line drawn? To fund a Ethiopian govt. sponsored war that’s creating a man-made famine is problematic. Financial leaders also play a role in #TigrayGenocide. @SecYellen @DavidMalpassWBG @KFinkelstonhttps://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-03-19/ethiopia-tigray-war-massacre-bora

2. The Ethiopian govt. is engaged in massacring civilians, blocking aid, destroying hospitals & religious sites. @AbiyAhmedAli should be sanctioned not rewarded on #TigrayGenocide @Safaricom_Care withdraw bids for @ethiotelecom. @MyGovKe @SpokespersonGoK @ForeignOfficeKE @DFCgov

3. Ethiopia allowed Eritrea, a country with the worst human rights record to commit atrocities on people of Tigray. This is the level of integrity Ethiopia will apply on money funded by @WorldBank. #TigrayGenocide @IMFNews @DavidMalpassWBG @AxelVT_WB @IFC https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

4. To @Safaricom_Care @MyGovKe it is critical that you withdraw your bid from @ethiotelecom. There is a genocidal war taking place in Ethiopia & any profits have the potential to go towards war efforts. Do you support war & the #TigrayGenocide? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ethiopia-tigray-news-executions-rape-war-atrocities-genocide/

5. Any deal with unelected @AbiyAhmedAli is contributing to #TigrayGenocide. Do not enable weaponized starvation and weaponized rape by the Ethiopian government. Halt any bids on @ethiotelecom @Vodacom @AxianGroup @MTNGroup @LiquidInTech @DouglasMboweni @benliquidkenya@DFCgov

6. .@WorldBank & @DFCgov should not support the privatization of @ethiotelecom. We ask for the withdraw of any bids. As secretive as @AbiyAhmedAli has been, how can we trust his next move isn’t rooted in war efforts? @kyle_a_murphy @IFC_org @wbg_gov https://www.foxnews.com/world/ethiopias-secret-war-in-tigray-region-ethnic-killings-rapes-near-starvation-reported

7. Privatizing @ethiotelecom has the potential to increase investment capital by attracting foreign investment & raising revenue for the government. This revenue could indirectly fund the #TigrayGenocide. @WorldBank @AxelVT_WB @MamtaMurthi @WBG_IDA @DFCgov https://www.theafricareport.com/39864/ethiopia-the-case-for-partial-privatization-of-ethio-telecom/

8. Any entity that turns a blind eye to the human rights violations rampant in Tigray, in order to benefit from the turmoil caused by unelected @AbiyAhmedAli’s #TigrayGenocide is complicit & will be held accountable. That includes you @NicRudnick @eboggsdavidsen @AlgeneSajery46

9. An investigation by @BBC Africa Eye has uncovered evidence that a massacre in Tigray was carried out by members of the Ethiopian military. We ask that @Safaricom_Care @Vodacom @AxianGroup halt bidding for @ethiotelecom until #TigrayGenocide stops! https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56603022

10. .@WorldBank & @DFCgov must refrain from participating on the privatization of @ethiotelecom. We demand withdraw of bids. Any profit gained has a massive potential to fund #TigrayGenocide. Please, do better. @kyle_a_murphy @wbg_gov @MIGA @SPimentaIFChttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/02/ethiopia-1900-people-killed-in-massacres-in-tigray-identified

World Bank – 3
  1. Kenya, you’re aware of how badly the people of Tigray are suffering at the hands of @AbiyAhmedAli & Isaias Afwerki. We ask that @Safaricom_Care withdraw bids for @ethiotelecom. Do NOT fund the #TigrayGenocide! @MyGovKe @SpokespersonGoK @ForeignOfficeKEhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/ethiopia-tigray-news-executions-rape-war-atrocities-genocide

2. The Ethiopian govt. is engaged in massacring civilians, blocking aid, destroying hospitals & religious sites. @AbiyAhmedAli should be sanctioned not rewarded on #TigrayGenocide @Safaricom_Care withdraw bids for @ethiotelecom. @MyGovKe @SpokespersonGoK @ForeignOfficeKE @DFCgov

3. .@ethiotelecom has been weaponized against the people of Tigray. Unelected @AbiyAhmedAli uses communication as a tool of war. Cease & desist all deals regarding infrastructure in Ethiopia until the #TigrayGenocide investigations are complete. @Vodacom https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/eu-calls-on-ethiopia-to-lift-tigray-communications-blackout-as-sudan-refugee-camps-get-overcrowded/vi-BB1bCXFx

4. South Africa, it’s important that Shameel Joosub of @Vodacom withdraw bids for @ethiotelecom. @AbiyAhmedAli is trying to fund his war on Tigray with your help. Do you support genocidal wars targeting the innocent? #TigrayGenocide @GovernmentZA @GEPF_SA @CyrilRamaphosahttps://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/africa/ethiopia-mfa-us-tigray-troops-intl/index.html

5. Although @AbiyAhmedAli has tried to keep the #TigrayGenocide a secret, he can’t hide that he’s trying to fund it. We ask that @LiquidInTech withdraw any bids from @ethiotelecom. Do not fund a Genocide. @NicRudnick @econetzimbabwe @DouglasMboweni https://www.dw.com/en/tigray-war-behind-a-steel-wall/a-56737354

6. Ralph Mupita & leaders of @MTNGroup must do right & withdraw bids for @ethiotelecom. Do you support genocidal wars against innocent people? The world is watching. #TigrayGenocide @wimMTNUG @StephenBlewett @PaulNormanMTN @jschultebockum @KamalSantina https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/01/africa/ethiopia-mfa-us-tigray-troops-intl/index.html

7. .@AbiyAhmedAli has scared off suppliers of @hm & @childrensplace during the #TigrayGenocide. He’s allowed forces to destroy infrastructures, causing the country’s economy to plunge. This is who you want to do business with? @Safaricom_Care @Vodacom https://www.reuters.com/article/ethiopia-conflict-manufacturing-idUSKBN28J0LG

8. By supporting the sale of @ethiotelecom, @WorldBank would effectively be complicit in financially supporting a govt. that has waged an atrocious genocidal war on Tigray. Stop funding #TigrayGenocide @Bill_Morneau @JoshFrydenberg @WhiteHouseCEA @DFCgov https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

9. Privatization of @ethiotelecom would be a financial injection into a system that has overseen the shelling of civilians, rampant displacement, weaponized rape, looting & other horrific war crimes. Don’t fund #TigrayGenocide! @LeoVaradkar @simoncoveney https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-04-15/sexual-violence-being-used-as-weapon-of-war-in-ethiopias-tigray-un-says

10. After denying civilian deaths, rape victims, & the presence of Eritrean troops, @AbiyAhmedAli admitted all three. @ChrisCoons, imagine the impact of @WorldBankAfrica if it backed away from financially bolstering the same system. Don’t fund #TigrayGenocide! https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-sudan-ethiopia-only-on-ap-49166602bcb2a0a112402e202a034f38

World Bank – 4
  1. .@WorldBank should support a govt. that is invested in the safety & security of ALL its citizens; one that is accountable & transparent. Ethiopia does NOT have that w/ @AbiyAhmedAli. What it has is a genocidal govt. Don’t fund #TigrayGenocide @SecYellen https://www.voanews.com/ethiopia-tigray/un-hunger-rape-rising-ethiopias-tigray

2. No woman should should support a government & system that condones rape. It has been weaponized throughout Tigray these last 5 months of war. Use your power to put a stop to #TigrayGenocide. Vote NO. @KGeorgieva @carmenmreinhart, @ADixon_WB @KFinkelston https://www.dw.com/en/rape-survivors-battle-trauma-in-tigray/av-56830621

3. How many civilians need to be massacred? How many girls & woman raped so the @WorldBank & IMF must stop aligning with the needs of perpetrators of the #TigrayGenocide? @NadiaCalvino @ArturoHerrera_G @MichealMartinTD @CharlesMichel @EUCourtPress @IMFNews https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/01/africa/tigray-mahibere-dego-massacre-video-cmd-intl/index.html

4. The war is not obscure anymore. The whole world is watching @WorldBank & IMF decide on whether to support #TigrayGenocide by funding @ethiotelecom privatization. @DavidMalpassWBG @JosephEStiglitz @DonnellyStephen@RepDeanPhillips @RepSteveChabot https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ethiopia-tigray-news-executions-rape-war-atrocities-genocide/

5. Financial support of a government & system perpetuating #TigrayGenocide on its own people is complicity to genocide. DO NOT encourage impunity. @SandieOkoro @AntonellaBassa3 @MamtaMurthi @USTreasury @StateDept @federalreserve @deppauloguedes @MAECgob https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/25/the-guardian-view-on-the-war-in-ethiopia-tigrays-civilians-need-protection

6. Girls are being raped by soldiers. Is this what @WorldBank stands to exacerbate? Is this what IMF is likely to support financially? Say NO to #TigrayGenocide. Say NO to supporting the sale of @ethiotelecom. @SvonFriedeburg @AlbertZeufack @Diarietou_WB https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/why-ethiopia-needs-open-its-telecom-market

7. .@WorldBank did hold on disbursements in Myanmar 24 days after a coup. 5 months later, it is still supporting @AbiyAhmedAli, while he’s accused of ethnic cleansing in #TigrayGenocide. @SecYellen @wallyadeyemo @DavidMalpassWBG @eucopresident @PresidentIRL https://www.aol.com/news/blinken-condemns-ethnic-cleansing-ethiopias-220414116.html

8. .@WorldBank has two ambitious goals: End extreme poverty within a generation & boost shared prosperity. Yet, it is funding @AbiyAhmedAli’s war in Tigray that has intentionally destroyed both objectives. @Diop_IFC @USTreasury @vonderleyen #TigrayGenocide https://www.msf.org/health-facilities-targeted-tigray-region-ethiopia

9. Ethiopia is committing war crimes by withholding food to create a famine in Tigray. The @WorldBank should not be complicit with this. Do not fund the #TigrayGenocide. @WhiteHouseCEA @JulieBSiegel @KGeorgieva @RepGregoryMeeks @federalreserve @SenatorRisch https://www.ft.com/content/60ea0fbd-688e-4224-8219-c4c996d94513

10. Factories, farm crops, livestock, health centers, & the drinking water system in Tigray were intentionally destroyed to use food as a weapon of war. Mass atrocities committed. The @WorldBank should not fund #TigrayGenocide. @WhiteHouse @ChrisCoons https://twitter.com/ProfKindeya/status/1381902942933037057?s=20

World Bank – 5

1. Weaponized rape & hunger, massacres, & ethnic cleansing by invading forces are widely reported in #TigrayGenocide. This is against the human rights principles embodied in WB’s Environment & Social framework. @DavidMalpassWBG @HafezGhanem_WB @FeridBelhajhttps://apnews.com/943f9335820f4822fca1b9e45a05f449

2. Ethiopian & Eritrean forces looted & destroyed schools, hospitals, universities, pharmaceuticals, textile & cement factories, power plants, & mechanized farms that employ thousands of citizens. @WorldBank stop funding the #TigrayGenocide @HafezGhanem_WB @EP_President @USAID

3. You should not bid for @ethiotelecom it is neither ethical nor profitable to invest in those perpetrating #TigrayGenocide. Those funding war crimes in Tigray will be held accountable. @srichard @orange @TeIkomMobileSA @etisalat @SnailMobileUSA @Vodacom
https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-sudan-ethiopia-only-on-ap-49166602bcb2a0a112402e202a034f38

4. .@WorldBank – listen to experts @JendayiFrazer & @JDevermont, “The Int’l. community should pause the current IMF debt relief negotiations with Ethiopia & the @DFCgov should suspend..support of @ethiotelecom’s privatization.” @jorgedajani #TigrayGenocide https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/542145-fighting-in-ethiopia-threatens-us-security-interests?amp

5. .@SenBooker & @ChrisCoons we urge you to ask the @WorldBank to stop funding #TigrayGenocide. @AbiyAhmedAli & Isaias Afwerki are committing war crimes. We need independent investigation NOT funds for armament. @HouseForeign @GerryConnolly @SenatorRisch https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/01/africa/tigray-mahibere-dego-massacre-video-cmd-intl/index.html

6. .@WorldBankAfrica “it is critical to establish credible benchmarks to move forward. Humanitarian access is the responsibility of all governments, and it is unacceptable to reward Addis Ababa.” @USAIDEthiopia @DFID_UK @SecBlinken @USAID #TigrayGenocide https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/542145-fighting-in-ethiopia-threatens-us-security-interests?amp

7. It would be unprecedented for int’l institutions @WorldBank & @IMF_atUN along with gov agencies @USTreasury @StateDept @SecBlinken @USEmbassyAddis to cont. funding @AbiyAhmedAli & Isaias Afwerki while they stand accused of war crimes in #TigrayGenocide. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/world/middleeast/ethiopia-tigray-ethnic-cleansing.amp.html

8. .@WorldBank & @SecYellen should know @AbiyAhmedAli & Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki have destroyed an unimaginable amount of civil infrastructure throughout Tigray. They should NOT be rewarded with more funds to continue #TigrayGenocide. @USTreasury
https://www.msf.org/health-facilities-targeted-tigray-region-ethiopia

9. .@WorldBank is not upholding its own social safeguard policies, protection of human rights as provided in their Environmental & Social Mgmt. Framework, but gearing up to support the privatization of @ethiotelecom. No credibility! @Lagarde @Paschald @KGeorgieva #TigrayGenocide

10. .@WorldBank should not support the privatization of @ethiotelecom; a project to be implemented in an environment where massacres, gang rapes, & other human rights violations are taking place. @gwsokamoto @wallyadeyemo @EU_Justice #TigrayGenocide https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-sudan-ethiopia-only-on-ap-49166602bcb2a0a112402e202a034f38

World Bank – 6

1. .@WorldBank froze funds to Myanmar immediately after a coup. The bank is still supporting a govt conducting ethic cleansing and massacres. STOP @ethiotelecom privatization. #TigrayGenocide@antoniocostapm @KGeorgieva @KlaasKnot @nsitharaman @EUCouncil https://tinyurl.com/y3hcthbe

2. .@WorldBank trashing it’s own standards by not conducting govt finance review or a public consultation before @ethiotelecom privatization. WB is complicit with the #TigrayGenocide. @DavidMalpassWBG @jleibenluft @HMcEntee @JulieBSiegel @CalvinMitchell6 https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/starving-tigray/

3. .@WorldBank suspend @ethiotelecom privatization! Stop the needless suffering before carelessly giving funds for armaments. Govt using rape as a weapon of war should be condemned! #TigrayGenocide @federalreserve @EUatUN @SecYellen @wallyadeyemo @RepMcCaul https://tinyurl.com/hm3nnafv

4. Stop funding the #TigrayGenocide through the sale of @ethiotelecom. We call on the @WorldBank to stop funding the killing of black and brown bodies for geopolitical expediency. #BlackLivesMatter #TigrayGenocide @RepGregoryMeeks @Diop_IFC @RepKarenBass https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-sudan-ethiopia-only-on-ap-49166602bcb2a0a112402e202a034f38

5. On April 21, @WorldBank’s Board of Directors will vote on whether to fund Ethiopia as the country wages a war on Tigray, a minority indigenous population. Abiy wants to revenue for weapons through the sale of @ethiotelecom. Vote ‘NO’! #TigrayGenocide @ShaolinyangWBG @kanshula

6. Voting for the sale of @ethiotelecom is a vote for funding the #TigrayGenocide. @WorldBank should not aid the genocide of the minority ethnic Tigrayan population, as Ethiopia weaponizes food. @AntonellaBassa3 @jorgedajani @CF_Jaramillo @DFCgov @kanshula https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-04-15/un-tigrays-humanitarian-crisis-worsens-no-eritrean-exit

7. We all should ask why the @WorldBank knowingly funds the #TigrayGenocide by facilitating the sale of @ethiotelecom? What is in it for WB? Who is condoning this ethnic cleansing? How does the U.S. which controls the Bank benefit from this? @SecBlinken @SenBooker @RepGregoryMeeks

8. Now is not the time for @WorldBank to sell @ethiotelecom as it will fund the #TigrayGenocide. Now is time to hold the leadership in Ethiopia accountable for all war crimes & crimes against humanity. @DavidMalpassWBG @SecYellen @SenatorRisch @IMF_atUN https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/26/africa/ethiopia-tigray-dengelat-massacre-intl/index.html

9. By helping Abiy sell @ethiotelecom in the midst of his genocidal war against the indigenous people of Tigray, @WorldBank’s Board is setting up to fund Abiy’s genocide. This is an unforgivable, historical mistake. Say ‘NO’ to #TigrayGenocide @Mari_Pangestu @SandieOkoro @Diop_IFC

10. Coup in Myanmar & @WorldBank halts all projects within a month. Genocide in Ethiopia & WB votes to fund the 5 month long #TigrayGenocide, through sale of @ethiotelecom. What’s wrong with this picture? What’s wrong with the @WorldBank? @DavidMalpassWBG https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-sudan-ethiopia-only-on-ap-49166602bcb2a0a112402e202a034f38