Internet shutdown in western Ethiopia

Several towns in western Ethiopia have been experiencing an internet shutdown since Monday.

In some areas, mobile call services are also not working.

The state-run and only service provider in the country, Ethiotelecom, has not explained the cause of the shutdown.

A spokesperson for Ethiotelecom told the BBC that the company could not comment on the issue right away but would provide an official statement soon.

It is not clear if the shutdown is related to a surge in violence in the past two years, which has included the killing of government officials in the area.

In 2019, Ethiopia shut down the internet during national exams for secondary school students and also during a wave of ethnic-related violence in the country.

Netblocks, an organisation that monitors freedom of access to the internet, estimates that internet shutdown cost the Ethiopian economy at least $4.5m (£3.4m) each day.