The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania announced a two-day closure starting today, May 14th, due to a widespread internet outage affecting the country.
A cut submarine cable has caused significant network disruptions across Tanzania, Kenya, and other East and Southern African nations. The embassy cited “degraded network services” as the reason for the closure, which will remain in effect until May 15th.
“Consular appointments scheduled for these days will be cancelled and rescheduled,” the embassy said in a statement. However, they emphasized that the consular section will remain operational for urgent matters:
Since the weekend, internet users in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have reported poor connectivity. Telecom companies in the region have acknowledged the issue, with some, like Safaricom, MTN and Airtel issuing warnings about slower internet speeds.
This outage is not limited to East Africa. Similar disruptions were previously experienced in parts of West and South Africa. As of Monday, repairs on the submarine cable are still ongoing, leaving a timeline for full restoration uncertain.
The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania cited “degraded network services” as the reason for its temporary closure, which began on May 14th and will continue through May 15th.
