Telegram has become a medium for disinformation in Africa, with minimal content moderation allowing harmful narratives to spread unchecked.
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The sight of Russian flags in West African protests is not new but it was the first of such in Nigeria. In the months preceding military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Using Tgstat, a Telegram analysis tool, we accessed the channel ‘Africa Initiative,’ which describes itself as a ‘Russian information agency about events in Africa.’ The channel has versions in Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish. It is filled with narratives about the Russia/Africa relationship and pro-coupThe subscriber analysis data from Tgstat revealed that the channel was created in October 2023, with around 200 subscribers at that time.
The screenshot above shows the Africa initiative telegram channel is part of a circle of Russia’s disinformation strategy. Around the time the narrative of protesters waving Russian flags was prevalent, the Africa Initiative’s Rutube channel—a Russian equivalent of YouTube—was filled with videos of the protests.
A downloaded file document from the channel contains multiple pieces of content related to the protests in Nigeria. Especially as it relates to the waving of the Russian flags A screenshot showing the African Initiative website is created and managed by Initiative-23., an organisation run by Kureyev Artem Sergeyevich, a Russian secret service agent.by the US Department of State identifying Artem Sergeyevich Kureyev as the Chief Editor of the Africa Initiative. He is also the General Director of “Initsiativa 23,” the same organisation that registered the Africa Initiative.
Both pictures show the same location in Jos, specifically Old Airport Road, where the protest with Russian flags was intense. The first image was taken during the protest, while the second was taken afterwards. But what now happens to Telegram for hosting this issue? To address the challenges of enforcing Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act against disinformation on platforms like Telegram, it’s essential to understand the legal and technical obstacles involved. Saminu Mohamed, a lawyer, explains that Telegram’s strong encryption and minimal content moderation make it difficult for authorities to monitor and trace malicious activities.
“The Nigeria Police Force has issued a stern warning against the display of foreign flags during protests and calls for a military takeover, categorising such actions as treasonable felonies under Nigerian law,” he said. When asked if any of the protesters waving the flags were arrested, the police spokesperson said, “We have more than 90 of them arrested with the Russian flags.”The acclaimed sponsors are yet to be discovered.
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