Paper short abstract:

This paper examines when civil society organisations (CSOs) challenge government-ordered inter-net shutdowns in Africa. I argue that CSOs go to court in unfavourable autocratic contexts when they engage in supportive alliances, both domestically and across borders.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines when civil society organisations (CSOs) challenge government-ordered inter-net shutdowns in Africa. I argue that CSOs go to court in unfavourable autocratic contexts when they engage in supportive alliances, both domestically and across borders. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, I systematically link documented internet shutdowns in African countries between 2011 and 2023 to configurations of relevant organizational properties such as leadership, resources, collaboration and partnerships, and solidarity networks. The results support a positive relationship between collaborations and partnerships as well as solidarity networks in countries that

experienced an internet shutdown lawsuit. The study also shows that independence, proximity, and speed are key reasons why CSOs decide to file cases in sub-regional courts. Overall, it underlines the importance of supportive alliances as a key factor in CSO decision to challenge incumbent governments` extra-legal digital rights reaches.