Thank you for your prayers for Uganda through this election cycle; it has largely been peaceful, though there is still a large police and military presence around. I think most people are just wanting to resume life.
The night before the presidential election, the government announced that they would shut off the internet for two days as a security measure. This was after they had announced a couple days prior that only social media would be shut down. Of course, two really meant five, and this past Monday afternoon, the internet was restored, but social media was not. Many people have resorted to using VPNs to conduct normal business using platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and others.
This afternoon, the government announced that not only would the social media blackout continue indefinitely, they would begin shutting off access to sites that use VPNs, and arresting the people who use them. The stated reason is that people are dodging a social media tax by using VPNs. I pay mine regularly, and really don’t feel at risk for arrest.
However. This is disturbing for many reasons. I’m grieving for so much of what’s going on here; the internet lockdown seems to be far more debilitating and fiscally punitive than the physical lockdown was. The implications and impact of all this are vast, and difficult to try to comprehend.
Please continue to pray for peace, order, and wisdom for all here. It has been a week of violent ups and downs on so many fronts; it’s all quite exhausting and I’m running out of the good chocolate. Thankfully, it’s in a supermarket not close to me, but I’m running a bit low on coping skills at the moment, and comfort food is an easy one to grasp.
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