Ethiopia Insight published on 17 July 2026 a commentary titled "Tigray's Youth Are Breaking the TPLF's Narrative Monopoly" by Asmelash Yohannes Teklu.
The rise of social media in Tigray region of Ethiopia is challenging the Tigray People's Liberation Front's control of information. Young Tigrayans are rejecting attempts to drag Tigray into another destructive conflict. They are confronting the TPLF in ways that would have been unimaginable a decade ago.
China-Africa Security Radar published on 13 July 2026 an article titled "Why This Chinese Surveillance Patent Matters for Africa's Future Policing Models."
South Africa granted a Chinese public security technology company with close ties to state security institutions a patent for algorithmic policing that could potentially shape the future of policing in Africa. The patent is for mapping relationships between people using digital traces, including text and social media. The rise of digital authoritarianism across parts of Africa raises the possibility for abuse of this technology.
Global China Pulse published on 20 April 2026 an article titled "Queering Chinese in Africa: The Unintended Sexual Migration of Chinese Gay Men" by Cai Chen, Universite libre de Bruxelles.
In an unusual piece of research, the author examines the migration trajectories, motivations, and experiences of three self-identified gay Chinese men who have lived in one or more African country.
The American Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) published on 2 April 2026 a paper titled "False Promises: Russian Military Trafficking in Africa" by Sarahelena Marrapodi, FPRI.
Some 1,800 African men signed contracts to work in Russia as drivers, security guards, and other civilian jobs only to find themselves shipped off to the frontlines of Russia's war against Ukraine. The story provides background on the recruitment efforts and suggests that it may constitute human trafficking.
APA News published on 26 March 2026 an article titled "Over 80 Zimbabweans Lured into Russia-Ukraine War, 15 Killed."
Zimbabwe accused Russia of fraudulently recruiting its nationals to fight in the war with Ukraine. Fifteen Zimbabwe nationals have died in the war and the government in Harare is working to repatriate 66 others.
Gallup just released its "World Happiness Report 2026" that assesses 147 countries from 2023 through 2025. The 2026 edition highlights the role social media plays in social connection, trust, and shared experiences worldwide.
The happiest African countries based on the social media focus were Mauritius (73), Libya (81), Algeria (83), Mozambique (93), and Gabon (96). The least happy African countries were DRC (140), Botswana (143), Zimbabwe (144), Malawi (145), and Sierra Leone (146).
Comment: There are surprises, at least for me, at both ends of the scale. The focus on social media probably accounts for them
Capital Market Ethiopia posted on 14 January 2026 an article titled "IShowSpeed Touches Down in Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Braces for 'Speed Does Africa' Chaos."
American Darren Jason Watkins Jr., global streaming titan "IShowSpeed," arrived in Ethiopia after a historic visit to Kenya bringing his "Speed Does Africa" to the Horn of Africa. He was immediately engulfed by a sea of Ethiopians.
Ethiopia Insight published on 21 January 2026 a commentary titled "Ethiopia Goes Viral with IShowSpeed, Moment for Reflection" by Fenet Bedaso, Africa Development and Research Center.
The author explains that his visit placed Ethiopia, briefly but unmistakably, at the center of global online conversation.
Comment: While official US influence in Africa continues to slip, unofficial American soft power remains very much alive and well.
CNBC published on 24 November 2025 an article titled "Chinese Consumer Brands Flood into Africa as Old Investment Model Fades and Exports Jump" by Evelyn Cheng and Victoria Yeo.
Chinese exports to Africa during the first three quarters of 2025 have surged 28 percent year-on-year, following a 57 percent increase from 2020 to 2024. China is increasingly emphasizing consumer sales in Africa as profit margins narrow at home. This is putting added pressure on African companies that produce consumer goods, although some Chinese companies are moving production to the continent.
The Africa Report published on 16 April 2025 an article titled "As Trump and China Disengage, Africa Turns to Gulf States, Says Carlos Lopes" by Carien du Plessis.
Carlos Lopes, former head of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, commented recently that the Trump administration has disrupted China's Belt and Road Initiative and ties with Africa by focusing on opening an Artic Sea route and taking steps such as dismantling USAID. Gulf States are beginning to fill the void in Africa. The UAE, for example, has replaced China as the continent's largest investor. But Lopes sees China as only pausing engagement and eventually returning in a major way.
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.
Foreign Policy published on 21 October 2024 a commentary titled "Prigozhin's Ghost Lives on in China" by Alessandro Arduino.
Judging by social media comments, China's leading security pundits are enamored by Russian Wagner Group's bravado and believe China's approach to the protection of Chinese interests is too passive. They see Wagner as the model for Chinese private security companies protecting projects across the globe in high-risk areas.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 13 March 2024 a report titled "Mapping a Surge of Disinformation in Africa."
The Washington-based Africa Center documented 189 disinformation campaigns in Africa during 2023. Russia was the primary sponsor, running 80 documented campaigns targeting more than 22 countries. This represented nearly 40 percent of all disinformation campaigns in Africa. The Communist Party of China was the second most prolific Africa-wide sponsor of disinformation with five known regional campaigns. The Russian and Chinese campaigns were designed to advance their geostrategic interests and shape narratives that undermine democratic processes, promote coups, stoke anti-Western and anti-United Nations sentiment, and spread confusion about climate change. Other important sponsors of disinformation campaigns were the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
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.
Xinhua published on 28 December 2023 an article titled "Chinese Navy's 15-year Quest for Peace in Gulf of Aden, Waters Off Somalia."
The article praises the efforts of the PLA Navy (PLAN) continuously over the last 15 years to protect commercial shipping and Chinese personnel in the Gulf of Aden/Red Sea region. During this time, the PLAN escorted more than 7,200 Chinese and foreign vessels.
Newsweek published on 26 December 2023 an article titled "China's Navy Propaganda Slapped with X Community Note" by John Feng.
The story cites a recent video by the PLAN praising its 15-year contribution to combatting piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. It also notes recent social media messages mocking the PLAN's inaction when it failed to respond to a nearby commercial ship's distress call when it was being attacked by pirates in the Red Sea. A US naval vessel did respond and captured the pirates.
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.
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.
The US Institute of Peace posted on 18 July 2023 testimony titled "Great Power Competition Implications in Africa: The Russian Federation and Its Proxies" by Joseph Sany.
In testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the author emphasized Moscow's destructive activities in Africa and how they harm US interests on the continent. He argued that the US must stay engaged in Africa and work with African partners to improve regional security.
The New York Times published on 15 May 2023 an article titled "Mysterious Killing of Chinese Gold Miners Puts New Pressure on Beijing" by Nicole Hong and Elian Peltier.
In March, gunmen targeted Chinese gold miners in the Central African Republic, killing nine of them. The government of the CAR blamed a local rebel group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change, which denied the charge and claimed the Russian mercenary organization, Wagner Group, was responsible. Chinese officials are still investigating the attack as China struggles to protect its nationals in remote and dangerous locations in Africa.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute published on 3 May 2023 a commentary titled "India's Battle over Disinformation in the Indian Ocean" by Kate O'Shaughnessy.
The commentary looks at China's role in shaping public opinion in the Western Indian Ocean and argues that countries like India and Australia need to take stronger measures to correct misinformation and disinformation.
The International Crisis Group published on 25 April 2023 a commentary titled "What Facebook Does (and Doesn't) Have to Do with Ethiopia's Ethnic Violence" by William Davison, Jane Esberg, and Alessandro Accorsi.
The commentary discusses the responsibility of social media companies, in this case Meta, for dealing with inflammatory content concerning Ethiopia that has the potential to lead to violence.
