" Gabon blocks internet, imposes curfew amid election voting delays" 26 August 2023

Bongo and Ondo Ossa lead a race of 14 candidates vying for the top job in the oil-rich central African state. But shortly after casting his vote, Ondo Ossa went live on a social media broadcast calling on Bongo to step down and saying he could "guarantee" his security. Barely two hours later, the internet was cut and Communications Minister Rodrigue Mboumba Bissawou went on state television to announce the cutting of the internet and a nightly 7:00 pm - 6:00 am curfew from Sunday. These actions were to "counter the spread of calls for violence... and false information", he said. In addition, three days notice will be required for any meeting or demonstration.

State television also announced that some voting stations were staying open later than planned because their opening had been held up by the delay in voting materials arriving. The country's broadcasting authority, the HAC, provisionally banned the French channels France 24, Radio France Internationale (RFI) and TV5Monde from the airwaves, state television also reported. The HAC accused them of "a lack of objectivity and balance" in their election coverage.