In a recent incident on May 13, 2024, East and South Africa experienced a significant internet disruption due to a submarine cable cut. Countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda reported poor connectivity, with internet users facing difficulties accessing online services. This outage follows a similar incident in March that affected parts of West and Southern Africa. The intermittent service disruptions were caused by faults in the undersea cables connecting the region to the rest of the world via South Africa. Tanzania was particularly hard hit, with traffic dropping to 30% of expected levels. Service providers including Safaricom, Airtel Ugandan, and MTN Rwanda have acknowledged the issue and are working to resolve it. Other countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar have also experienced the effects of these ongoing connectivity issues. The Eassy cable, which runs along the coast of East Africa, was reportedly cut north of Durban. However, the disruptions are not attributed to sabotage but rather an unfortunate coincidence. Alternative cables linking East Africa to Europe remain operational, and service is expected to gradually improve as data is rerouted through these pathways [5d0db7a5].
These internet outages in Africa highlight the vulnerability of undersea cables and the significant impact they have on internet connectivity and critical services. The reliance on undersea cables for global communications underscores the need for enhanced security measures and protection of maritime infrastructure. The international community must work together to address these threats and ensure the protection of undersea cables and maritime security [b2dd15d7], [aae086f9].
Satellite operators like Intelsat are providing backup connectivity to reroute the impacted traffic. Other companies such as Eutelsat OneWeb, SES, and SpaceX also offer connectivity from Earth orbit. The incident highlights the potential of a hybrid connectivity solution that combines underwater cables and orbital satellites [17b29ae6].
Undersea cable companies adopt a safety-in-numbers approach to protect deep-sea cables. Repairing cables is time-consuming and expensive, and damage is more common than believed. The principle of cable security is diversity, with more cables in geographically diverse locations. Recent damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea was caused by the anchor of a ship that had been critically damaged by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The incident disrupted about 25% of traffic between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. The undersea cable network is vulnerable to natural disasters, maritime accidents, and geopolitical tensions. Fishing equipment and ship anchors are the main causes of cable faults. The cable network carries at least 97% of internet traffic worldwide and is owned by private companies, with large internet firms investing billions of dollars in the system. The vulnerability of the undersea cable network to deliberate attacks is a concern, with Russia deploying submarines to test Nato's defences. Protecting the network falls to state governments, and there have been calls for increased protection. However, the global nature of the network may provide some protection, as severing cables would disrupt the communications and access to the global economy of hostile actors. The interconnectedness of the world's economy affords some protection to cable networks, but it depends on the players involved [aae086f9].