All eyes on Cameroon: #KeepItOn during upcoming elections
Access Now
In an open letter to President Paul Biya, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition urge authorities in Cameroon to ensure reliable, continuous, open, and secure internet access before, during, and after the upcoming elections on October 12, 2025, to ensure a participatory and transparent electoral process.
In recent months, people in Cameroon have reported the emergence of network throttling and partial disruptions, especially in crisis-hit areas, and during periods of civil unrest. This is a worrying trend as the country heads towards elections, a well-documented trigger of shutdowns. Election-related shutdowns restrict people’s access to information and active participation in democratic processes and governance, make it difficult to document irregularities, and erode public trust in electoral processes. Ensuring access to the internet throughout the election process is a key component to ensuring peace, stability, and smooth transitions of government.
“Cameroon has shut down the internet before in a move that left people in the dark for 94 days,” said Felicia Anthonio, #KeepItOn Global Campaign Manager at Access Now. “Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition urge authorities in Cameroon to uphold their obligation under both national and international frameworks and ensure unfettered access to the internet throughout the electoral period and beyond.”
The internet and social media platforms play a critical role in enabling and enhancing participatory governance and transparency in a democratic society. They provide space for advancing national conversations at a national scale, enabling access to critical and updated information about election processes and candidates, facilitating reporting and documentation of events and outcomes, as well as providing an avenue to hold authorities accountable for their actions.
“Internet connectivity is not a luxury, it’s an essential tool woven into the fabric of everyday life — from education to healthcare to democratic participation. The internet is an enabler of essential human rights and is key to sustaining meaningful democracy,” said Bridget Andere, Senior Policy Analyst at Access Now. “Authorities in Cameroon must respect human rights and #KeepItOn.”
Ahead of, during, and beyond the upcoming elections, Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition urge authorities in Cameroon to:
Publicly assure the people of Cameroon, especially those in historically affected regions such as the Northwest and Southwest, that the internet, including social media and other digital communication platforms, will remain open, accessible, and secure across Cameroon;
Order internet service providers to guarantee high-quality, secure, and unrestricted internet access; and
Direct internet service providers to keep people informed of any potential disruptions, and to take all reasonable steps to fix any identified disruptions likely to impact their quality of service.
Read the open letter via the Access Now website.
MEDIA CONTACT
Felicia Anthonio
#KeepItOn Global Campaign Manager
Access Now
press@accessnow.org
Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk.
For general media inquiries, contact us at press@accessnow.org.
Access Now is a global organization with team members across five continents, and presences in New York, San José (Costa Rica), Brussels, Berlin, Tunis, Delhi, Nairobi, and Manila.
https://www.accessnow.org | Access Now, 180 E Prospect Ave #189, Mamaroneck, NY 10543
I, Colbert Gwain, Digital Rights Advocate and Content Creator living and working in Bamenda, Cameroon, endorse this Letter
I, Labah Polycarp, The Publisher of Breaking News, Endorse this Letter
