Facebook is dismantling three networks involved in involvement in Africa

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it had taken down three networks of fake accounts involved in mixed activities in Africa. These are two Russian networks and a French network. According to the social network, the people behind this French network are “close to the army” and acted in a coordinated way to influence the public.

84 Facebook accounts, 6 pages, 9 groups and 14 Instagram accounts. They were all shot from France and some have been active since 2018. A real network of trolls was dismantled and deleted by Facebook, targeting the Central African Republic and Mali, and to a lesser extent Niger, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Chad.

The people behind these fake accounts pretended to be residents of these countries, Facebook explains and published messages in favor of the French army or French politics in Africa, but also criticism and accusations of Russian intervention especially in the Central African Republic.

These attempts to manipulate public opinion are organized “by individuals associated with the French army,” according to the company. However, the survey could not show a direct link to the government or the army.

Invited by RFI, the Ministry of Defense in Paris kicks in. “For many months we have seen an increase in the power of disinformation measures aimed at destabilization.” But impossible to attribute a possible responsibility according to the ministry, “due to the diversity of actors in this information struggle”.

Impact of struggle

Two Russian networks with dozens of fake accounts have also been dismantled and Facebook even claims that the investigation goes back to the Russian Internet research agency and sulfur-rich businessman Yevgeny Prigojine, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Poutine.

While the French trolls contented themselves with using fake social media accounts, the more efficient Russians also relied on local media or online advertising. Their message in favor of President Touadéra’s policy in CAR or against French actions in Africa was followed by more than 260,000 subscribers against almost 5,000 on the French side.

It’s not here first time influence campaigns are discovered in Africa but this is the first time that Facebook has discovered two foreign campaigns that directly interact with each other. A real struggle for influence between France and Russia in Africa.

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