On March 14, 2024, internet connectivity across several West and Central African countries was severely impacted due to multiple undersea cable failures in the region.
The disruption began around 05:00 UTC, affecting countries stretching from The Gambia in the north all the way down to Côte d’Ivoire, including a major South African network provider, Vodacom.
“Beginning at approximately 05:00 UTC, west and central African countries were most impacted. Based on published reports and social media posts from impacted network providers, the disruption is believed to be due to multiple undersea cable failures in the region.”
According to data from Cloudflare Radar, the internet outages followed a distinct pattern, starting in the north around Senegal and gradually spreading southward across West Africa over the course of several hours. The Gambia, Guinea, and Liberia experienced disruptions around 05:00 UTC.
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African telecommunications giant MTN Group, which operates in numerous countries across the continent, reported widespread internet outages impacting its customers in Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa. The company assured users that it was working tirelessly to resolve the issue within the shortest time possible.
“Breaks in multiple major undersea cables have affected connectivity services in several West African countries,” MTN Group stated in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In South Africa, internet users encountered difficulties logging into various online services and platforms due to the disruptions, according to reports from My Broadband. Services affected included Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, Xbox, X itself, and even the popular messaging app WhatsApp.
Other major South African telecoms, like Vodacom, acknowledged that the outages were causing slow internet connections, with areas like Gauteng and the Western Cape being hit particularly hard.
The Crucial Role of Submarine Cables
This widespread internet disruption across multiple African nations serves as a stark reminder of just how heavily the modern internet relies on the vast network of submarine cables crisscrossing the ocean floors around the world.
It is estimated that these undersea cables carry a staggering 90% or more of all intercontinental data traffic, with satellite networks handling only a relatively small percentage of general internet use.
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Currently, there are approximately 529 active submarine cable systems globally, with 1,444 landing points either active or under construction.
In total, these vital undersea data lines span an incredible 1.3 million kilometers (over 800,000 miles) around the planet, forming the backbone of the internet and modern global communications.
Potential Causes
While the precise cause of this particular series of cable cuts remains unclear at this point, analysts suspect it may be linked to the ongoing conflict and maritime attacks occurring off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea region.
In mid-February, escalating attacks by Houthi rebel forces included missile strikes on a bulk carrier ship named the Rubymar, severely damaging its hull and forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.
The Rubymar eventually sank on March 3rd, and there are concerns that it may have dragged its anchor along the seafloor while sinking, potentially severing the undersea cable lines in the process.
In addition to disrupting global internet traffic, the Rubymar’s sinking also poses significant environmental risks due to the fact that it was carrying over 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer cargo. Extensive oil spills have already been reported as a result of the damaged ship.
The spillover of the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict into the Red Sea region has created an increasingly hazardous situation for maritime traffic passing through this crucial global shipping lane. Insurance companies have been forced to hike premiums, while many shipping firms are now opting to take the longer route around the southern tip of Africa to avoid the risks.
These latest internet outages represent a new dimension to the conflict, as repairs to the damaged undersea cables have been complicated by the fact that the cable cuts appear to be located within Yemen’s territorial waters.
Undersea cable operator Seacom has estimated that full repairs could take up to 8 weeks to complete. In the meantime, cable operators will be forced to rely on redundant lines and reroute internet traffic across other undersea cable systems.
While the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen have denied any intentional efforts to disrupt global internet connectivity, this unintended consequence of the escalating regional conflict has nonetheless reignited discussions around improving resilience.
Proposals include accelerating the rollout of satellite internet services across Africa, which currently remain cost-prohibitive and unpopular across much of the continent.
The events have also raised critical questions about the safety and security of Africa’s digital infrastructure at a time when many nations are actively pursuing ambitious plans to develop technology sectors and transition towards digitized economies and e-governance systems.
Policymakers will undoubtedly be reevaluating contingency plans in light of this large-scale internet disruption impacting millions across the region.
