Burkina Faso Government Extends Internet Suspension Amid Protests

People take part in a march called by the opposition to protest against the security situation worsening and asking for a response to jihadist attacks, in Ouagadougou, on July 3, 2021. Olympia de Maismont/AFP via Getty Images

OUAGADOUGOU—Burkina Faso’s government, facing mounting public anger over repeated killings by Islamist terrorists, extended its suspension of mobile internet service on Wednesday while offering conflicting reasons for why access was cut in the first place.

The authorities cut mobile internet on Saturday, which they later justified by citing a legal provision related to “the quality and security of networks and services and the respect of obligations of national defense and public security.”