Text of report by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF, Reporters Without Borders) on 28 December
SMS messaging was restored today [28 December] in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after being suspended throughout the country on the government’s orders on 3 December.
The end of the ban was announced by the minister of posts and new communication technologies (who is also deputy prime minister) and was immediately confirmed by local sources including the National Network of Human Rights Organizations (RENADHOC).
“We are relieved to learn that the SMS network has been restored for all users in the DRC,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The Congolese population has recovered access to an essential communication service. We deplore the fact that users were deprived of this service and that their fundamental right to communicate was thereby restricted for such a long time. We condemn this excessive measure and urge the authorities not to repeat it.”
(Source: Reporters Sans Frontières website, Paris, in English 28 Dec 11 via BBC Monitoring)
