How do nationwide internet shutdowns work?

In the weeks leading up to the DRC presidential election, there have been varying degrees of shutdown- of mobile networks in parts of the country, then of internet in the capital and finally a nationwide shutdown of the internet.

How does this work? Who shuts down the internet- mobile companies or governments? What if I lived close to the border, or on the outskirts of a shutdown area? How are zones delineated?

I'm also aware of some people having special devices/methods of circumventing the shutdown (e.g. Journalists, who have been sending their material to international broadcasters from within the country)

How does this work? Do they connect to services outside the country or use different methods of connection to typical devices?

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So many questions. Excuse my (very obvious) technological ignorance and thanks in advance for any insights.

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FYI: https://allafrica.com/stories/201901090143.html

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Submitted January 13, 2019 at 06:57AM by Kipaka http://bit.ly/2H7DqEE via TikTokTikk