US Embassy in Tanzania Shuts Down Amid Nationwide Internet Outage

The United States Embassy in Tanzania has temporarily ceased operations for two days due to severe network disruptions affecting the country. As Tanzania grapples with a significant internet outage stemming from a damaged submarine cable, the embassy will remain closed to the public on May 14th and 15th.

This outage not only impacts Tanzania but also extends to neighboring countries including Kenya, causing widespread connectivity issues across East and Southern Africa.

In response to the network degradation, the embassy announced that all consular appointments initially scheduled for the affected dates will be postponed and rescheduled.

Despite the closure, the embassy clarified that the consular section would still be open for visa collection and handling emergency situations involving American citizens.

This network problem is linked to a cut in one of the submarine cables that provide internet connectivity to the region. The disruption has resulted in slower internet speeds across several African nations.

Leading telecommunications provider Safaricom has already issued alerts to its customers, advising them of potential service interruptions.

The situation underscores the vulnerability of global internet infrastructure and the cascading effects that can arise from disruptions in connectivity.

As countries and companies in the region scramble to mitigate the impact, the incident highlights the critical need for robust and resilient internet infrastructure to support global communications and operations.