Congo orders telecoms shutdown during presidential vote

Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso 

Congo Republic's government has ordered the country's two largest telecommunications providers to block all communications during a presidential election on Sunday and again on Monday, a government source said on Saturday.

The decision, which the source said was taken for reasons of security, will cause inconvenience and possible alarm in a country where there are few landlines and many rely on cell phone communication. It is also highly unusual in the context of an election in Africa.