"It's a relief to find social networks," said Annadjib Ramadane. This blogger and social media consultant of 25 years can finally blow. After more than a year, he can log back in his Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp accounts for a month. In mid-July, President Idriss Itno Déby, in power for 29 years, lifted the restriction on access to social networks. The Chadian authorities had decided to block them in March 2018, officially "for security reasons".

"In recent months, the imperative security had led the government to strengthen the conditions of access and control measures of electronic communications," said Idriss Itno Déby during the closing of the Forum Chad digital N ' N'Djamena. "These measures were imposed in a context of terrorist threats," he said. The measure was mainly at the end of March 2018 when a protest movement refused a change of constitution.

"I did not experience censorship"

Just hours after Idriss Itno Deby's speech, the Internet and social networks were back online. A deliverance for all Chadians whose professional activities require daily connection to the Internet.

For Annadjib Ramadane, living without social networks has been a nightmare. Like many thousands of other users, he had to use VPNs (virtual private networks) to get around the restrictions. "In the beginning, I did not really experience censorship. It was necessary to use VPNs. Which means that you had to spend more to access social networks, sometimes with a bad internet connection. But I had to get used to it like others, "says the social media consultant, also a member of Mondoblog, a network of bloggers created by RFI.

Annadjib Ramadane has seen its monthly connection budget triple, from 14,000 CFA francs (about 21 euros) to more than 45,000 CFA francs (about 69 euros). To reduce the financial cost, "I have sometimes been able to connect via access points provided by Cameroonian mobile operators," says the blogger. In N'djamena, some neighborhoods adjoin the Chari River, not too far from the Cameroonian border. "It is possible to capture the network," he adds.

>> See also: blocking social networks in Chad: Déby lifts the restrictions

The censorship also lost money to Andreas Koumado, founder of the e-commerce start-up Mossosouk that employs six people. The company could no longer target Chad's 400,000 regular Internet users (about 5% of the population) on social networks. "Facebook allowed us to do targeted advertising to get people to buy our products. Our sales were high. But censorship has automatically affected our numbers. Those who did not know the tools to circumvent the restrictions had trouble connecting to social networks, "says Andreas Koumado who is also a computer engineer.

Internet, a fundamental right

The lifting of restrictions on social networks was welcomed by Julie Owono, director of the Internet Without Borders organization. But she remains vigilant. "We must make sure that this does not happen again. We wish to organize a more global discussion on Internet access in Chad, where its cost is still prohibitive. This is another form of financial censorship that is less talked about, "she says. "Access to social networks is fundamental, adds Andreas Koumado. "We need it to inform ourselves, to communicate and to share our ideas, and our rights are violated."

The announcement of Chadian President Idriss Itno Déby coincided with the inauguration of a fiber optic network linking Chad to Sudan. Annadjib Ramadane believes that the economic stakes were right for this restriction on social networks.

Certainly, this new censorship of the Internet has had an impact on the economy of this Central African country already exhanging. According to an Internet Without Borders report, a precedent in 2016 cost Chad more than 18 million euros. The country then blocked social networks for 235 days.