Africa did not go completely offline from western ISPs; rather, significant internet outages occurred in parts of western and southern Africa due to undersea cable damage and maintenance, affecting millions but not resulting in a total continent-wide blackout.
Mostly False
Africa went completely offline in from western ISPs
The West Africa Cable System Outage: Why Your Internet Might Be Slow
Source: fastcompany.co.za
At a glance
Verified September 10, 2025Key Evidence
Damage to undersea cables like WACS caused major outages affecting millions but only in specific regions.
pulse.internetsociety.orgpulse.internetsociety.orgMajor Internet Outages Across Western and Southern Africa Today
bloomberg.combloomberg.comAfrica Internet Outage Risks Leaving Millions Offline for Weeks
South Africa experienced slow speeds due to emergency repairs on WACS cable but was not completely offline.
mybroadband.co.zamybroadband.co.zaMajor undersea Internet cable serving South Africa offline
sa-seta.co.zasa-seta.co.zaBREAKING NEWS South Africa
Mobile internet access remains available to hundreds of millions despite challenges.
ecofinagency.comecofinagency.comMobile Internet Access Still Limited in Africa, Millions Remain Offline
New infrastructure projects aim to reduce dependency on Western ISPs and improve resilience.
eurweb.comeurweb.comAfrica Launches Continental Internet Exchange for Digital Freedom
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
The claim that "Africa went completely offline from western ISPs" is an overstatement and not supported by the evidence from multiple reliable sources.
Multiple reports confirm major internet outages affecting large parts of western and southern Africa, primarily caused by damage to undersea fiber optic cables such as the West Africa Cable System (WACS). These outages have led to slow speeds and limited connectivity for millions of users, especially in countries like Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.pulse.internetsociety.orgpulse.internetsociety.orgMajor Internet Outages Across Western and Southern Africa Today
mybroadband.co.zamybroadband.co.zaMajor undersea Internet cable serving South Africa offline+5 more
The outages are significant but localized to regions served by the affected cables. They do not represent a complete continent-wide internet blackout. Mobile internet penetration remains limited in many areas but continues to serve hundreds of millions of users.ecofinagency.comecofinagency.comMobile Internet Access Still Limited in Africa, Millions Remain Offline
Emergency repairs and maintenance on critical undersea cables have caused temporary disruptions but have not resulted in a total loss of internet access across Africa.sa-seta.co.zasa-seta.co.zaBREAKING NEWS South Africa
fastcompany.co.zafastcompany.co.zaThe West Africa Cable System Outage: Why Your Internet Might Be Slow
Furthermore, recent developments such as the launch of the Continental Internet Exchange aim to reduce reliance on Western networks and improve digital sovereignty in Africa, which would mitigate future risks of such outages.eurweb.comeurweb.comAfrica Launches Continental Internet Exchange for Digital Freedom
In summary, while there have been severe regional internet disruptions linked to western undersea cables impacting millions in Africa, the continent did not go completely offline from western ISPs. The claim exaggerates the scale and nature of the outages.
Primary trail
Verified Sources10
Open source