Africa Tackles Online Disinformation Campaigns During Major Election Year

In 2023 Africa experienced a dramatic increase in disinformation campaigns—about 189 documented attacks—primarily driven by foreign state-linked actors (with Russia implicated in many regional campaigns) that combine social influence operations and cyber tactics to spread false narratives; the report urges layered, human-centered defenses including media literacy, improved cybersecurity for elections, information-sharing (ISACs), and preplanned response playbooks for governments and organizations.