misinformation

ADF STAFF There was no surprise when military junta leaders in Niger reached out to Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group for help just days after overthrowing a democratically elected government and suspending the country’s constitution.…

ADF STAFF Five days after leading a failed uprising against the Russian state, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his top Wagner Group officers sat face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a three-hour meeting on June 29. Despite having…

ADF STAFF Amina Fofana is a member of one of Mali’s pro-junta protest groups and serves on the military government’s National Transitional Council, the nation’s legislative body. She’s prolific on social media. Her Facebook page shows…

ADF STAFF When recent reports emerged of widespread, yearslong cyberattacks by Chinese hackers on Kenya’s government, China was quick to offer a boilerplate denial. But, experts say, in the digital environment, it is harder than ever for…

ADF STAFF When war broke out in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed quickly ordered the severing of the region’s internet and telephone connections. Abiy’s order cast Tigray into an information…

ADF STAFF Odd videos began circulating on social media in Burkina Faso in January, showing a diverse group of people urging Burkinabe to support the military junta. “Hello to the African people and particularly to the Burkinabe people. My…

ADF STAFF A new joint investigation has found a prolific Russian disinformation campaign sowing division and spreading propaganda across the continent. A Belgian man with links to dictators and the infamous Russian mercenary Wagner Group…

ADF STAFF Ugandan public health officials are hoping that communication as well as aggressive action will help control the spread of Ebola. Authorities locked down the Mubende and Kassanda districts along the busy highway connecting…

ADF STAFF The recordings posted online in 2020 claimed to be Ghanaian President Nana Afuko-Addo endorsing several notorious conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic. There was one problem: The recordings were fake. Afuko-Addo’s…

ADF STAFF At a time when Africans are dealing with the peaks and valleys of COVID-19 infections, China continues to push misinformation about the disease. Government officials in China recently acted on a debunked claim when they…