Election Fraud Allegations Spark Turmoil at Key African Internet Agency

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has issued a strong open letter to the Mauritian government and the court-appointed receiver of AFRINIC, the regional body responsible for managing Internet resources in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Dated July 16, the letter raised serious concerns about AFRINIC’s governance, election transparency, and attempts by a controversial member to dissolve the organization.

ICANN’s warning followed the cancellation of AFRINIC’s June 2025 Board elections.

The elections were disrupted by accusations of fraud, misuse of power-of-attorney votes, and lack of transparency.

Despite multiple requests, ICANN said it has received limited information from Mr. Gowtamsingh Dabee, the court-appointed receiver, who has not provided enough details about the failed elections or the current status of AFRINIC’s records and backup systems.

Tensions increased when Cloud Innovation Ltd, a major AFRINIC resource member, got involved.

The company’s CEO has been linked to media outlets accused of influencing election coverage. The CEO has now filed legal action to dissolve AFRINIC altogether—a move ICANN strongly opposes.

ICANN warned that such a dissolution could allow private interests to take control of this key regional Internet governance body, risking fair distribution of IP address resources.

ICANN emphasizes that AFRINIC does not own the IP addresses it manages.

These addresses are public resources meant to be shared according to local policies. Treating them as private assets would violate the principles of regional Internet governance.

African Internet

• These include making election investigations public, clarifying member eligibility criteria.

• Restructuring the board election process to follow AFRINIC’s bylaws.

• Bringing in an independent elections expert and making nomination processes more transparent and neutral.

While ICANN has not launched a formal compliance review, it states that AFRINIC is closely monitored.

The organization demanded a full update by July 17, covering responses to previous questions and confirming data is preserved for future investigations.

ICANN reaffirmed its commitment to AFRINIC’s role as a Regional Internet Registry but warned that continued lack of cooperation could lead to reevaluating AFRINIC’s status.

Without reforms, there’s a risk that AFRINIC could lose the trust of its members and its legitimacy as a steward of Internet resources in the region.

Source: CircleID