Cloudflare Q1 2026 Internet Disruptions Report: Shutdowns, Power Outages, And Conflict

New analysis of global Internet disruptions in the first quarter of 2026 by Cloudflare reveals a resurgence of government-imposed shutdowns, increasing vulnerability of digital infrastructure in conflict zones, and continued exposure to environmental and technical risks across the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

The findings underscore the growing strategic importance of Internet connectivity in the region, not only as critical infrastructure for economic growth, but also as a lever in political, security, and social contexts.

High-Level Key Findings:

Government shutdowns return: Countries including Uganda, Iran, and the Republic of Congo imposed widespread disruptions, reversing last quarter’s decline and underscoring the Internet’s role as a tool of political control.
Iran suffers one of the longest blackouts in recent years: Traffic dropped to near zero from January 8th until January 21, with connectivity restricted through filtering, “whitelists” and “white SIM cards” which restricted access to only approved Internet sites by selected users.
Election-linked shutdowns continue to occur: In the Republic of Congo, Internet traffic dropped to near zero for ~60 hours during the presidential election. The impact mirrored similar disruptions in past election cycles, reinforcing how connectivity is routinely restricted during critical political moments.
Cloud infrastructure enters the conflict zone: Drone strikes damaged AWS data centers in the Middle East, increasing connection failures and introducing new risks for globally distributed applications. The strikes caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities which resulted in additional water damage.
Extreme weather and cable damage persist as key risks: Storms, submarine cable incidents, and technical failures continue to expose weak points, causing damage and power outages in Portugal, the Republic of Congo, and Orange Guinée (Guinea).

Regional Context and Implications

Across the Middle East and Africa, these developments point to a shifting digital risk landscape shaped by geopolitical tensions, infrastructure fragility, and climate-related disruptions.

Government-directed shutdowns and election-related restrictions continue to impact access and economic activity, while more advanced control mechanisms, such as selective access through whitelisting, demonstrate increasing sophistication in how connectivity is managed.

At the same time, the emergence of cloud infrastructure as a target in conflict zones signals a new phase of risk for enterprises operating in MEA. As organizations rely more heavily on distributed cloud environments, disruptions to core infrastructure can have cascading effects across borders and industries.

Environmental and technical vulnerabilities further compound these challenges, highlighting the urgent need for investment in resilient network architecture, redundancy, and regional interconnectivity.

Looking Ahead

As digital transformation accelerates across MEA, ensuring reliable, secure, and open Internet access will be critical to sustaining economic growth and innovation. Governments, enterprises, and service providers must prioritize resilience strategies to mitigate the growing range of disruption risks.