In a continued display of simmering tensions, dozens of government websites in Senegal suffered a second-day outage on Saturday due to a cyberattack claimed by the hacking group Anonymous. The @MysteriousTeamO account, allegedly affiliated with Anonymous, announced on social media that it had targeted websites associated with the presidency, as well as those utilizing the government domain, including the defence and health ministries. The national airline, Air Senegal, was also reportedly affected.
While most of the impacted sites were restored by mid-afternoon on Saturday, some experienced intermittent access issues. NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, revealed that the attack began at approximately midnight on Friday, impacting “dozens of government websites, networks, and online services.” The situation remained ongoing, with intermittent service restorations.
The @MysteriousTeamO account stated that the attack was conducted in “solidarity” with the Senegalese people, supporting their right to freely choose their president. Government spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana confirmed the cyberattack, categorizing it as a distributed denial-of-service attack, designed to overwhelm the target with a barrage of internet traffic, thereby impeding normal system functioning. The government’s relevant departments stated that their teams were working diligently to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
Access to the presidency’s website and several other offices was reinstated by Saturday evening, marking progress in recovering from the cyber assault.
The attack occurs within a tense political environment in Senegal. The opposition has decried what it perceives as an escalating crackdown by President Macky Sall’s government. Uncertainty surrounding Sall’s potential bid for a controversial third term, coupled with the ongoing rape trial of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, has further heightened tensions in this typically stable West African nation.
Sonko, who has refused to appear in court, alleging a plot by authorities to bar him from participating in the presidential race, embarked on a high-risk return to the capital, Dakar, on Friday. His intention was to rally supporters during the journey with a “caravan of freedom.” Reports from local media suggest clashes between Sonko’s supporters and security forces upon his arrival at Kolda in the south, still a considerable distance from Dakar.
On Saturday, Sonko’s party claimed that a 37-year-old father had died during the clashes, placing blame on the authorities. However, AFP could not independently verify the circumstances surrounding the reported fatality.
Image Credit: Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash
