Ethiopia has been offline, and nobody really knows why

Internet outages that prevented many people from entering online services have entered a seventh day, sparking anger and frustration among citizens.

Access to social media platforms like Whatsapp and Telegram have been restricted since June 11, according to internet monitoring service Netblocks.

In the capital of Addis Ababa, business owners and journalists told CNN Monday they were using VPN to connect to the internet and access messaging platforms.

Tour operator Serak Tadele complains that he has been struggling to get online for his clients.

"Every time there is a suspension of the internet, we are told by CNN.

"It's expensive, and we can not just pbad it on our customers. But it ultimately, this hurts our business, "he added.

Speculation is rife that the internet restrictions are in place to prevent cheating by final year of secondary students sitting for a national examinations.

Most of the time were connected to many times last week. Text messaging services have been disabled since last Thursday.

Cherer Aklilu, executive director of Ethio Telecom, the country's only telecom provider, declined to comment on CNN on Monday.

"There is no official statement from our side," she said.

CNN contacted the Office of the Prime Minister but there was no response.

An Ethiopia and Eritrea Researcher with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Felix Horne, said, "The world is out of poverty."

"Blocking the internet to a few possible exams makes it impossible for all," Horne said. "It hurts the economy, it hurts Ethiopia's international image, and it flies in the face of the government's stated commitments to freedom of expression."

Before Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in April 2018, the internet had been switched to.

When he took office, Aby ended the blackout; freed political prisoners, reporters and bloggers and implements economic reforms to attract foreign investment to the country.

"While Abiy's government has made impressive progress on the subject of freedom of expression and access to information, the Internet is a step backward and reminiscent of the previous government." Horne added.

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