Al-Shabaab's Social Media Strategy

 The CTC Sentinel published in its January 2024 issue a detailed research article titled "The Online Frontline: Decoding al-Shabaab's Social Media Strategy" by Georgia Gilroy. 

The article presents findings from a research study into al-Shabaab's online behavior between January and December 2023, and explores the concerning threats posed by al-Shabaab's growing technical skills.  Al-Shabaab's continued resilience is enhanced by its sophisticated communications infrastructure.  Its networks provide an alarmingly well-controlled, adaptive, and coordinated approach to social media that serves to weaponize online spaces and platforms.  

Russia's Disinformation Campaign in Africa

 The Washington Post published on 21 October 2023 an article titled "Spy vs Spy: How Israelis Tried to Stop Russia's Information War in Africa" by Elizabeth Dwoskin.

Russia has been running a successful information campaign using social media that was crucial in evicting French forces and UN peacekeepers in Mali and in establishing new alliances in the Sahel region.  Western governments have failed to appreciate the impact of Russia's online strategy in Africa, which includes both covert operations and more public ones such as paying local influencers to fly to Russia.  

Ethiopia Arrests Three More Journalists

 The Committee to Protect Journalists published on 6 September 2023 a press release titled "Three More Journalists Arrested under Ethiopia's State of Emergency."

Ethiopian authorities recently arrested the chief editor of the YouTube-based broadcaster Amhara Media Center, founder and editor of YouTube-based outlet Negari TV, and the editor-in-chief of the weekly Ghion magazine.  

Russian Misinformation on Its Ukraine Invasion and Social Media

 Brookings published on 27 June 2022 an analysis titled "Russia's Narratives about Its Invasion of Ukraine Are Lingering in Africa" by Mary Blankenship and Aloysius Uche Ordu.

While Ukraine has been able to communicate by social media the atrocities of Russia's invasion, the Russians have successfully obscured the facts through misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.