Cloudflare has revealed a resurgence of internet disruptions in Q1 2026, driven by government-imposed shutdowns, geopolitical conflict, and infrastructure vulnerabilities across the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
The report highlights a notable return of state-directed internet shutdowns, with countries such as Iran, Uganda, and Republic of the Congo enforcing widespread connectivity restrictions. In Iran, traffic dropped to near zero for nearly two weeks in January, reflecting one of the longest blackouts in recent years.
Election-related disruptions also persist, with the Republic of the Congo experiencing a near-total outage lasting approximately 60 hours during its presidential election underscoring how connectivity is increasingly used as a tool of political control.
“Internet connectivity is increasingly becoming both critical infrastructure and a strategic lever in political and security contexts.”Â
The report also points to a new and emerging risk: cloud infrastructure becoming a target in conflict zones. Drone strikes impacting Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the Middle East led to connection failures and operational disruptions, highlighting vulnerabilities in globally distributed cloud environments.
Beyond geopolitical risks, environmental and technical challenges continue to expose weak points in digital infrastructure. Storms, submarine cable damage, and power outages affected connectivity in regions including Portugal and parts of Africa, reinforcing the need for resilient network design.
As digital transformation accelerates across MEA, the findings emphasize the growing importance of building robust, redundant, and secure internet infrastructure. Governments and enterprises alike are being urged to prioritize resilience strategies to mitigate the increasing frequency and complexity of disruptions.
