THE Indian Ocean island of Mauritius blocked access to social media on Friday, just days ahead of a general election, as tensions mounted over a wire-tapping scandal.
Mauritius has been gripped by scandal since secret recordings of phone calls by politicians, journalists, members of civil society and even foreign diplomats began being leaked online last month.
“Following the publication of certain audio tracks on social media, there is a real risk that the national security and integrity of our Republic and our international partners may have been compromised,” said the office of Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth in a statement on Friday.
It said internet service providers had been ordered to block access to the most widely used social networks, and that a crisis committee was meeting to discuss the situation.
The blockage is due to last until 11 November — a day after the election — according to telecoms operator EMTEL.
The leaked recordings were released by an account called Missie Moustass (Mr Moustache), primarily on TikTok.
There have been attempts to block the account but it quickly resurfaced elsewhere and has been releasing recordings almost daily.
AFP
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