Sudanese court on Tuesday, ruled that internet services that were disconnected following a military takeover more than two weeks ago must be restored.
According to a lawyer, despite the court’s instruction to internet service providers, the country remained largely offline early Tuesday.
“Internet services must be restored immediately,” lawyer Abdelazim Hassan told AFP, citing a judgement by the Khartoum district court.
He claimed the case was initiated by a group of lawyers and the Sudanese Consumer Protection Society, and that the court had also determined that services should continue to be provided during the appeals process.
Online access in Sudan has largely been blocked since October 25, the day of a widely condemned military coup, and phone lines have also been intermittently disrupted.
Sudan’s top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency and detained the civilian leadership.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained, then placed under effective house arrest.
The day after the coup Burhan blamed online media for instigating “sedition” but also promised that “the internet services will gradually return”.
Scores of pro-democracy activists have been arrested since the coup, which triggered nationwide protests and a crackdown that left at least 14 people dead, according to medics.