World Today Journal published on 30 September 2026 an article titled "South Africa Air Traffic Control Hit by Ransomware Malware and Data Exfiltration" by Linda Park.
South Africa's Air Traffic and Navigation Services organization discovered ransomware-linked malware inside an operational technology network. Internal technical teams identified indicators pointing toward potential data exfiltration diverted at external Internet Protocol addresses located in China.
Nouvelles Afrique published on 9 September 2026 an article titled "Madagascar: 50 Chinese Prisoners Transferred to China after Being Convicted of Online Fraud" by Djamila Kambou.
Fifty Chinese nationals convicted in Madagascar of online fraud were transferred to China for the remainder of their sentences. Interpol and the Chinese embassy in Antananarivo assisted in the investigation.
The China-Africa Security Radar published on 17 May 2026 a commentary titled "Chinese Clean Tech Is Raising Alarm Bells in the West--Should Africa Be Worried Too?"
Western governments are raising concerns about the impact of Chinese-supplied digitally connected electric vehicles and solar power inverters connected to the internet. They have the potential to harvest large amounts of geospatial and personal data.
The United States and certain European countries are banning some of this Chinese equipment. China counters that these are excuses to protect less competitive Western products. These Chinese products are being woven even more deeply into African markets and raise questions about data protection.
Foreign Policy Watchdog posted on 20 February 2026 an article titled "The Shifting Sands of Influence: China's Strategic Investment in Africa's Digital Infrastructure."
Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE currently control about 40 percent of Africa's internet bandwidth and hold over 65 percent of smartphone market share in key African countries. It is questionable if the West can respond effectively. China may shape the continent's digital destiny.
Business Insider Africa published on 22 January 2026 an article titled "Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Turn to Russia to Build the Sahel's First Shared Telecom Satellite" by Solomon Ekanem.
Russia is in discussion with the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger concerning joint satellite projects, including telecommunications and remote sensing satellites to expand broadband access, secure encrypted communications, and improve surveillance of under-serviced areas. This is a further indication of a shift by these countries away from the West.
South Africa's The Star published on 21 December 2025 an article titled "Empowering Africa: How China's Tech Cooperation Fuels Progress" by Gideon Chitanga.
The article argues that Chinese government and companies have become critical partners in the development of Africa's digital systems and information and communications technology. For example, Huawei has constructed an estimated 70 percent of Africa's 4-G networks.
The China-Africa Security Radar posted on 22 November 2025 an article titled "'Mining Slave' Warning in CAR Sparks Fierce Debate among Chinese Netizens."
The Chinese embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic, issued a strong warning about the dangers facing Chinese nationals involved in gold mining. This led to a vigorous internet debate among Chinese netizens as to how to respond to the warning.
The Associated Press published on 8 September 2025 an article titled "Commercial Shipping Likely Cut Red Sea Cables that Disrupted Internet Access, Experts Say" by Jon Gambrell.
A commercial ship dragging an anchor likely cut the four undersea cables in the Red Sea that disrupted internet access in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
The Associated Press published on 7 September 2025 an article titled "Undersea Cables Cut in the Red Sea, Disrupting Internet Access in Asia and the Mideast" by Jon Gambrell.
A series of subsea cable outages on 6 September in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries. It has not been determined who cut the cables, although one possibility is the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
African Arguments posted on 26 August 2025 a commentary titled "El Fasher Is Sudan's Gaza as a Place of Mass Starvation" by Susanne Jaspars and Tamer Mohamed.
The siege of Darfur's capital of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has sharply limited the amount of food reaching the city. As a result, starvation is taking hold.
Swarajya, an Indian right-wing monthly magazine, published on 23 July 2025 an article titled "Xi Jinping's Starlink Challenge Stalls as China's Satellite Constellation Projects Face Launch Bottlenecks; India's Private Sector Advances."
Elon Musk's Starlink, the pioneering satellite internet service, faces competition from China's state-led Guowang and the Shanghai-backed Qianfan. Musk's Starlink has launched more than 7,000 satellites providing connectivity to over five million customers in more than 100 countries.
Both of the Chinese projects face delays caused by rocket shortages, sluggish deployment rates, and internal competition. As of July 2025, Guowang had launched only about 40 satellites in a program that envisages a network of over 13,000 that will provide high-speed internet for civilian and military use.
Qianfan, also known as SpaceSail and G60 Starlink, is backed by the Shanghai municipal government and plans to have 15,000 satellites by 2030. To date, it has launched about 90 satellites and at least 17 of them have failed to reach their intended orbits. State-backed Guowang receives launch priority, repeatedly pushing Qianfan to the sidelines.
These problems in China's satellite programs may be alleviated, however, as Xi Jinping has reportedly instructed the People's Liberation Army to accelerate space-based communication systems in order to build a Chinese alternative to Starlink.
Comment: All of this has important implications for the Global South, and especially Africa, where Starlink has been slow to take hold and Chinese competition could challenge it.
The Committee to Protect Journalists published on 24 January 2025 a press release titled "South Sudan Blocks Social Media Amid Unrest."
The government of South Sudan has directed all internet service providers to block access to all social media accounts for a minimum of 30 days.
The BBC published on 5 June 2024 an article titled "Chinese Nationals Ran Cybercrime Syndicate from Zambia" by Wycliffe Muia.
Twenty-two Chinese nationals pleaded guilty to committing cyber-related crimes in Zambia. They were among seventy-seven persons, mostly Zambian nationals, arrested in April in connection with the fraud. The company that organized the cybercrime was the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services.
Africa Defense Forum published on 7 May 2024 an article titled "Chinese Cyber Scam Bust Reveals Zambia's Efforts to Disrupt Online Fraudsters."
Zambian authorities arrested 35 Chinese nationals and 70 Zambians since last month for operating a scam call center in Lusaka. Victims of the scam operation were located across Africa and beyond.
The Cyberspace Administration of China published on 3 April 2024 an announcement titled "2024 China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum: Chair's Statement on China-Africa Cooperation on AI."
The China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum was held online in Xiamen, China on 2-3 April 2024. The participants held in depth exchanges on China-Africa cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI).
In 2023, China launched the Global AI Governance Initiative, which is designed to implement its concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and to realize the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.
Aljazeera published on 29 March 2024 an article titled "Sudan Slips into Famine as Warring Sides Starve Civilians" by Virginia Pietromarchi.
One year since war broke out in Sudan, the article says that interrupted online remittances, soaring food prices, a reduction in local cereal production, and warring factions preventing the delivery of food aid have put Sudan in the middle of a "humanitarian disaster." The article quotes experts who predict famine will occur in areas such as Darfur by June of this year.
The United Nations published on 20 March 2024 a press release titled "Conflict Between Warring Parties in Sudan Pushing Millions to Brink of Famine, Top UN Officials Tell Security Council, Warning Entire Generation Could Be Destroyed."
Comment: Neither the Aljazeera article nor the UN officials argue that famine currently exists in Sudan, although both believe it is likely in the next two to three months. According to the UN, famine is a technical term that exists when three conditions come together in a specific geographic area such as a region or country. The conditions are:
--At least 20 percent of the population in that particular area are facing extreme levels of hunger,
--30 percent of the children in the same place are wasted, or too thin for their height, and
--The death rate has doubled from the average, surpassing two deaths per 10,000 daily for adults and four deaths per 10,000 daily for children.
The Conversation published on 27 February 2024 a commentary titled "Africa Needs China for Its Digital Development--But at What Cost?" by Stephanie Arnold, University of Bologna.
China's involvement by companies such as Huawei and ZTE has been critical in African digital development. While it is often argued that China has been successful because it offers the cheapest technology, the author suggests it is due more to the fact that Chinese contractors are attractive partners because they offer full package solutions that include financing.
The downside is that China seeks to promote Chinese digital standards and norms, including its technological and ideological principles. That includes China's interpretation of human rights, data privacy, and freedom of speech. China's Digital Silk Road seeks to establish a Sino-centric global digital order. Over-reliance on a single infrastructure supplier makes the client more vulnerable and can result in digital authoritarianism. The remedy is to diversify infrastructure supply.
The South China Morning Post published on 9 December 2023 an article titled "US Makes US$2 Billion Commitment to Angola as Oil-rich Nation Eyes Move Beyond Chinese Funding Model."
China has funded most infrastructure projects in Angola this century. The United States is set to finance $2 billion worth of solar power, bridges, internet network, and the Lobito Corridor Railway Line from Zambia to the Angolan coast via the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project, which includes European Union participation, is seen as a counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The Atlantic Council published on 8 August 2023 a study titled "Sudan's Precarious Information Environment and the Fight for Democracy" by Tessa Knight and Lujan Alsedeg.
This report examines the state of digital affairs on Sudan in the lead-up to the current conflict, focusing on the period from the October 2021 coup through December 2022. Although only one third of the country has internet access, the government imposed constant internet disruptions.
Foreign Policy published on 10 March 2023 an article titled "The Next Superpower Battlefield Could Be Under the Sea in Africa" by Joseph B. Keller, Brookings Institution.
The accelerated construction of submarine cables in African waters gives significant leverage to China while creating a security vulnerability due to the risk of Russian espionage. Chinese construction has become an important pillar of Beijing's foreign policy agenda. Russia's military and naval capabilities have the capacity to tap into the cables for espionage purposes. Western countries need to be alert to the implications of African submarine cable proliferation going forward.
