The attempts to shut down online news sites come in the wake of popular uprisings in Africa and the Middle East last year, and pose a threat to the growth of the Internet in the region, critics say.

Zambian President Michael Sata and his ministers have ordered the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), the country's telecom regulator, to close down at least some online media outlets in the country, claiming they are promoting hate speech.

The main target of the initiative appears to be the online news site. ZICTA has, however, failed to close down the site, which is hosted outside the country. The site's reporters in Zambia use various methods to disguise themselves and hide from the police.

However, the registrar of societies, Clement Andeleki, has announced he is de-listing the Watchdog online from the register of existing publications that pay annual statutory fees to continue operating.

"The Watchdog thinks we don't have the capacity to deal with them but we will use the necessary provisions of the law to ensure they are dealt with," Andeleki said at a media briefing last week. "We will not allow them to continue to be on the run or we will issue a warrant of arrest against them."