US embassy in Tanzania closed as the country faces internet outage
What you need to know:
- The American embassy said that on May 14 and 15, their embassy will be closed to the public, and services will only be available to those seeking visa pickup and for emergency cases for American citizens.the American embassy said that on May 14 and 15, their embassy will be closed to the public, and services will only be available to those seeking visa pickup and for emergency cases for American citizens.
Dar es Salaam. The American Embassy in Tanzania has announced that it is closing for two days and will not be accessible to the public due to the degraded network in the country.
The statement, shared on their social media pages, comes a day after Tanzania and 11 other African countries encountered an internet connectivity problem attributed to a technical fault stemming from a submarine cable cut that occurred on Sunday, affecting multiple internet service providers across East and South Africa.
Since the challenge started, the Tanzanian government through the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Information Technology and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCR) have issued statements on measures being taken to address the challenge that continues to affect various sectors.
TCRA says that they are currently working on an alternative network route that will reinstate connectivity to the country's major telecom networks as the marine cable issues are addressed.
However, the American embassy said that on May 14 and 15, their embassy will be closed to the public, and services will only be available to those seeking visa pickup and for emergency cases for American citizens.
"Due to degraded network service nationwide, the embassy will remain closed to the public. All consular appointments on May 14 and 15 will be cancelled at a later date. The consular section will be open as scheduled for visa pick up and for emergency American citizen cases," said US Embassy to Tanzania spokesperson, Kalisha Holmes.
The foreign mission is one of many services in the country that have been affected by the internet network shutdown. The current challenge has impacted the healthcare service, banking industry, media, and other businesses.
The US embassy which is located in Dar es Salaam, services hundreds of individuals daily. It is one of the biggest diplomatic missions in the country with strict security policies.
The current US ambassador to Tanzania is Michael Battle, a retired military officer, academic, member of the clergy, and diplomat. He took over from Donald J. Wright in February 2023.
