The government of Cameroon has blocked mobile access to Twitter until further notice. No explanation has been given, but it is presumed the Cameroonian government fears a revolution of the type which has occurred in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries. Opponents of the country’s long-term president Paul Biya had used text messages in an attempt to organise a nation-wide protest on 23 February.
Cameroon, which is ranked a lowly 131 on the Human Development Index for 2010, below Kenya and Bangladesh and just above Myanmar, has a reputation for poor quality corrupt government. The 78-year-old Paul Biya has clung relentlessly to the presidency since November 1982. In 1984 he held presidential elections and won 99.98% of the vote as the sole candidate. He was then re-elected in 1988, 1992, 1997 and 2004. The constitution undemocratically prevented him from restanding in 2011, so the National Assembly voted to remove term limits in 2008.
Biya intends to put his hand up for another seven-year term in this year’s presidential elections which are due to be held in October. His main claim to personal fame is his appearance in various lists of the World’s Worst Dictators. Most of the people in Cameroon are too poor to access Twitter or know how to use it for political purposes. SMS messaging is used far more commonly by the president’s opponents.