DISPUTE BETWEEN AFRINIC AND CLOUD INNOVATION Internet network at risk of being compromised The dispute between African Network Centre (Afrinic) and Cloud Innovation may disrupt the Internet in the Indian Ocean and Africa. This, if the freeze on Afrinic's bank account is maintained. (Manisha DEENA) [portrait photo] Lu Heng, founder of Cloud Innovation. [portrait photo] Eddy Kayihura, CEO of Afrinic. This dispute is over a year old. It all started in June 2020 when the African Network Centre (Afrinic) informed Cloud Innovation (CI) that the provider was violating their Registration Service Agreement (RSA) because the resources it allocated to them were "not being used for the purpose for which the applications were made. Moreover, Afrinic blames CI for the fact that the resources are mostly used in China instead of the African region where these services are supposed to be offered. Indeed, CI, although registered in the Seychelles, is in partnership with Larus Limited, a company based in Hong Kong. On July 13, 2020, CI filed for an injunction against Afrinic in the Supreme Court, but this was rejected a year later, on July 7. The day after the dismissal, Afrinic decided to terminate CI's membership and "recoup" the approximately 6 million in resources allocated in installments over the years. But CI retaliated by seeking a new injunction, which was granted on July 13, preventing Afrinic from recovering the resources. Moreover, according to documents CI submitted to the Supreme Court, the court order was complied with after a warning was sent to the legal panel of the regional internet registry (RIR). CI's membership was reinstated on July 15 and its 6 million in resources released the same day. However, the company was not content with that. It filed a claim for damages against Afrinic on July 23 for "unlawful termination" and "illegal acts. The Supreme Court granted the claim based on information provided by CI. However, it warned that a counter-action by Afrinic is possible "at CI's peril". The case will be called again in court on August 4. Impact on Afrinic An explanatory video from Afrinic's Chief Executive Officer, Eddy Kayihura, was released Tuesday. He explains that July salaries were able to be processed before the freeze of accounts and that support from other RIRs was sought so that a stability fund created in 2015 could be used to ensure a safe and stable global internet. He added that Afrinic's legal panel has requested a variation of the freeze before a judge in chambers on Monday, but if that request is not approved and Afrinic is deprived of long-term funds, "disruptions to Internet service in the Indian Ocean, the African continent and parts of the world" are possible. Contacted by the Express, the president of Afrinic, Subramanian Moonesamy, said he respects the decision of the Supreme Court. However, he hopes that a solution will be found "in the interest" of all parties concerned. "It's really unfortunate because 50 employees are affected by this decision to freeze the accounts, but we remain optimistic." One of Afrinic's board directors, Mark Elkins, submitted his resignation on July 26. Without going into detail because of confidentiality agreements, he said through a mailing list that he "does not agree" with what is happening and that he has been "misled. When asked, Subramanian Moonesamy did not wish to say more, arguing that it was not his place to comment on another person's choice. "I respect his decision." Cloud Innovation justifies its actions Since 2020, CI has refuted the allegations against it. After Afrinic's initial "threats," its founder, Lu Heng, said that it was only recently that RIR imposed restrictions on the use of its resources and that at the time of the agreement between the two, it was not Afrinic's policy to mandate that the allocated resources be used only in Africa. Lu Heng also maintained that there was no question of China having a stranglehold on African territory, as Afrinic claims. "We realize that the African Internet is still underdeveloped. We are doing our best to help the continent." In a statement issued on July 26, CI contends that "Afrinic acted in bad faith to tarnish its reputation" and that the company had "no choice but to take the necessary actions to protect hundreds of customers." ABOUT Afrinic is one of five RIRs worldwide. It was established in 2004 and is headquartered in Ebony. As the RIR for Africa and the Indian Ocean region, it is responsible for the distribution and management of Internet number resources consisting of the IP Address Space (IPv4 and IPv6) and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs). Anyone wishing to connect to the Internet or to a host server to publish content online must have an Internet Protocol (IP) address. These addresses are essential resources for accessing the Internet. Afrinic has 1,900 members, including Cloud Innovation, Mauritius Telecom and La Sentinelle.