One of the largest Telecommunication companies in Somalia, Hormuud, has shut down the 3G mobile Internet service that it has been serving, weeks after areas controlled by the militant group al-Shabab in the Southern part of the country also went offline after the group ordered telecom companies to stop this service.
Residents in Mogadishu told Horseed Media that the Internet service hasn’t been functioning since Thursday morning. Some of the Hormud workers confirmed the cutoff of the service but the Company officials haven’t yet spoken of it officially.
”We can make phone calls and receive text messages but we can’t access the Internet”, said one of the Residents who relied much more on this service.
The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab issued a directive banning companies from providing internet services early beginning of last month, giving them 15 days to shut down mobile internet and fibre optic services, which were to be launched soon.
The group threatened to those who do not comply will be seen as ‘’working with the enemy’’ and dealt with according to Islamic law. It says it’s a result of spies using the internet and smart phones to relay their operations.
A recent analysis made revealed that Somalia had more than 126,000 internet users, which is about 1.2% of the population.
The Somali government which strongly criticized this ban urged the Companies to ignore the order, adding that it will take a legal action against any company that endorses.
Ayub Abdirahman
Horseed Media
