How does Putin influence Africa’s public opinion so much?

Russia seems to have assembled in Africa a well -structured media empire that aims to design a negative image of the West. The subliminal message is: “Russia is the best partner.”

Continent suffers avalanche of campaigns, both by bots on social networks and by agents recruited on site, with misinformation and pro-kremlin opinions. Moscow wants to design a positive image in strategic countries.

A picture of glass skyscrapers appeared on Facebook on top of white luxury yachts under a golden light. Supposedly, it showed the beauty of the “Marina de Moscow”. Only not. The photograph was not from the Russian capital, but from Dubai.

The account that published the alleged photo of Moscow works in Burundicountry of East Africa. It is called itself Vladimir Putinand shows the Russian ruler in his photograph of a profile where he regularly publishes pro-russies.

Among the publications are obvious lies – For example, that a Russian laser cannon destroyed 750 American combat planes. More than 180,000 people follow the account, which claims to be a site of news.

However, not all publications designed to politically influence your audience are so raw and false. Most are more subtle.

However, as it refers to, there is increasing evidence that the Russia intends to design a positive image in African countries strategically important.

Does the influence also work without lies?

In isolated cases, it is not always possible to assign these messages to an author.

But the general picture is clear: in a report published in March 2024, the Center for Strategic Studies of Africa – a US military investigation organization – pointed out Russia as the main creator of influence campaigns in Africa.

Of the nearly 200 campaigns, 80 can be attributed to Russian entities – much more than other sources, such as China, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

Since the investigation carried out two years earlier, an increase of four times has been made in the volume of misinformation, according to the center.

These campaigns rarely use rude counterfeits, such as the supposed Moscow Marina. Instead, the true elements are distorted by exaggeration or deliberate omission of information. Sometimes, however, just explore and reinforce the existing public opinion.

“In Africa, there is a natural juxtaposition of East versus West, where the West is historically the villain“, He explained Aldu Cornelissenco-founder of South African Digital Consultant Intelligence, Deutsche Welle.

“It is not necessary lies or misinformation to remind people of this,” he added.

Influencers local (or “nano-influencies”)

Cornelissen and his company analyze social networks for political and commercial customers, for example for studies of reflection groups. This also involves Russian campaigns.

“There is a global key network that are linked to other key accounts in the African context. From there, local influencers in each country receive messages and adapt the narrative to the local context, ”he explains.

This is confirmed by Beverly Ochiengresearcher at the Africa Program at the US Strategic and International Studies Center (CSIS), based in Dakar.

“For example, when a Mali civil rights group makes a Bambara local language post, it doesn’t seem to come from a Russian employee. It seems like a genuine opinion of someone who speaks the local language and knows local problems“.

Instead of posts of a factory of trolls Far, many contents are now originating from places that are also familiar with linguistic and cultural particularities. Cornelissen calls them “Nano-influencing”.

Documented its activities in South Africa: “They are all paid. And if we pay 200 people 200 Rands [moeda da África do Sul] Each is a very cheap campaign to establish a narrative one day, ”said the data analyst. Over time, Some adopt the narrative as their own opinion and begin to reproduce it for free.

The calls “Buzzers” increase the reach of messages. These are accounts controlled by humans or bots that generate visibility and reach through many shares and reciprocal mentions.

A well -structured media empire

Russia does not only act through the creation of hidden structures on social networks, but also through its direct channels themselves.

In the Central African Republic, a species of laboratory of Russian influence in Africa, it is believed that the Station of Roadio Lengo Songo Songo It was founded by Russian agents in 2018.

In November, several European media published a research history about a central-African informator who fled the country and managed to explain how his work worked: he provided the state experts pro-Russians and wrote articles as a journalist whose content was dictated in detail for its Russian contacts.

Russian state broadcaster RT is also used to publicize pro-Russian narratives. In many western countries of European Union RT is partially prohibited.

In 2022, RT announced the creation of an English language media center in South Africa. The station can be received via satellite in “many” African countries. In French Africa, RT is also transmitted in French.

Journalists who work for Mali’s media, for example, such as Radio Emergence or the eliteregularly appear as commentators and praise the Russian actions in Sahel.

Recently, the US State Department also accused RT of secretly operating sites such as the African Stream.

Other channels specifically for use in Africa were also created. The best known is probably the inline news site African Initiativewhich originates in the Business Empire of Yevgeny Prigozhin.

A African initiative It presents itself as a news agency and a “bridge” between Russia and Africa. It also generates accounts on Telegram and other social networks, some openly, some in a disguised way. In Mali, the initiative maintains Links with a local journalism school. In December, the top three students of the year were directly recruited as correspondents.

The site also has its own offices in the Burkina Faso And, from time to time, organizes events in this country.

In May 2024, in the capital hear, for example, the African initiative exposed photographs since the “Russian victory over Hitlerian Germany” in 1945, to those “Ten years of war in the Donbass”the Ukrainian region claimed by Russia.

Subliminal message: “Russia is the best partner”

This “Cultural militancy” It is intended to support the main message, which is widespread more or less subtly through all information channels: “The time of the colonialist West is over and There is a better partner, Russia“.

There are regular occasions for this type of messages: when, for example, earlier this month the French president Emmanuel Macron complained that governments Africans had forgotten to “say thank you”the indignation was huge.

The African initiative took advantage of the criticism and related it to the statements of a political scientist from St. Petersburg, who deduced that “the appearance of alternative actors ”, such as Russia, who treat African countries with more respect.

There are certainly reference points for this in twentieth century history.

“It cannot be denied that Russia supported emerging African governments At the time, ”praised CSIS Beverly Ochieng.

The expert recalls that the Soviet Union supported liberation movements, such as the South African Anc and the Angolan MPLA, as well as young governments, for example, in Ethiopia, Somalia and the current Democratic Republic of Congo.

“At Entranato, it is romanticizing the idea that Russia remained a friend after having been on their side from the beginning. It’s not a lie, but The story is exaggerated To increase anger against France and the West, ”says Ochieng.

In the end, in several countries, this seed seems to be successful.