Rights Concerns

Ugandan authorities shut down nationwide internet access and restricted mobile services on Tuesday, just two days before a national election that will see President Yoweri Museveni seek a seventh term after nearly four decades in power.

The move, ordered by the Uganda Communications Commission, took effect at 6 p.m. local time and affected public internet connections across the country, according to a letter sent to mobile operators and internet service providers and seen by Reuters.

In the directive, the regulator said the shutdown was intended to prevent “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks” during what it described as a …