Blog #64: Broken optical cable, a country isolated from the world for two days

The breakdown of the cable has fueled the Internet of a number of North Atlantic coastal states, parts of Sierra Leone and all of Mauritania, which were severely affected.

According to Business Insider , late last month, the country of Mauritania is located in Northeast Africa completely isolated from the world for two days because of broken optical fiber.

The 17,000-kilometer (17,000-kilometer) sea-lanes connecting 22 countries from Africa to Europe, from South Africa to France on March 30, left part of Sierra Leone and all of Mauritania lost their connection.

According to Dyn, Oracle's Internet infrastructure company, a number of North Atlantic coastal nations such as Ivory Coast, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Gambia and Benin affect.

The picture shows only one cable connection to the Internet world and Mauritania.

Over the past five years, the area has never been significantly affected by the Internet. It is still unclear what caused the cable break. According to the Business Insider , the incident could be related to the Sierra Leone election on 31 March.

With Mauritania, this incident is particularly serious. "This is the most significant and longest Internet interruption ever seen in Mauritania." The country lost the Internet within 48 hours before being restored, "said Dyn.

British and British military intelligence officials have repeatedly warned there are too few measures to protect the cables, especially in the context of a world of political upheaval.

In 2013, three divers were arrested in Egypt after being spotted trying to cut the cables here.

"The worst scenario can happen, the hostile forces will undertake a full-scale attack on the infrastructure of the sea cable.Many serious losses will occur, including economic losses and military, "said former US Navy Admiral James Stavridis.