A research titled “Africa’s 2024 Security Trends in 10 Graphics” was released by the US Department of Defense’s Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, an academic organisation. Russia, China, and Iran are accused in the report of supporting military juntas, influencing elections, spreading misinformation, and manipulating information in order to promote democratic regression throughout Africa. Nigeria and Kenya are among the at least 28 African countries where these actions are said to have weakened democracy and public confidence in governments. It is said that China is affecting the political and media landscapes of Africa by advancing its dominant party model there.
Notably, China has expanded training for African party officials and created political colleges, all the while slanting popular perceptions with disinformation. In contrast, Russia uses proxies and disinformation campaigns to topple regimes, with West Africa rising to prominence in these endeavours. They also accuse Russia’s African Initiative of disseminating conspiracies related to public health. Governance crises are a result of Africa’s growing wars, violent extremism, and natural calamities. More over 45 million Africans had been forcefully displaced by 2024, during which time displacement had increased for 13 years in a row.
Nig. will not accept outside interference in its domestic issues.
163 million Africans, or around 10% of the continent’s population, are suffering from severe hunger as a result of the worsening food insecurity. Famine has been reported in South Sudan, Sudan, and Mali, while severe food shortages have affected over 20 million people in Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Nigerian administration has adamantly denied suggestions that foreigners have meddled in domestic protests. Nigeria will not accept outside interference in its domestic issues, especially in relation to the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations that started in August 2024, Foreign issues Minister Yusuf Tuggar stressed.
Nigeria’s determination to protect its sovereignty was demonstrated by Tuggar’s warning that the government would take firm measures against any foreign organisations discovered to be aiding the protesters. Concerns over foreign influence were brought to light in August 2024 when Nigerian police arrested a number of people for making and flying Russian flags during anti-government demonstrations in the country’s northern areas. Perceiving the exhibition of foreign emblems as an attempt to weaken national unity, the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the tailors who made the flags as well as their purported sponsors.
Empowering societies to become resilient to deceptive narratives.
The Russian government and its officials did not organise these actions, the Russian embassy in Nigeria said, denying any involvement. Experts advise raising citizens’ media Literacy in order to combat the problems caused by Misinformation and outside meddling. Societies can become more resilient to deceptive narratives by giving people the tools they need to think critically and recognise reliable information sources. Furthermore, encouraging global cooperation to track and thwart misinformation efforts can lessen their effects. Information ecosystems’ vulnerability to foreign manipulation can be further decreased by putting policies into place that encourage transparency in media ownership and funding.
Given that over 45 million people were forcibly displaced as of 2024—the 13th year in a row that displacement has increased—Africa faces serious humanitarian concerns. With 14 out of the top 15 nations in terms of the overall number of people who have been forcibly displaced suffering violence, this number indicates a 14% increase from the previous year. Notably, 34.5 million of these people are internally displaced, which means that over 48% of the world’s internally displaced people currently reside in Africa. Another urgent problem is acute food insecurity, which will impact 163 million Africans in 2024—more than a tenth of the continent’s population.
Related Article: Investigation on Russian Flags in Protests
This sum almost triples the amount from five years ago, demonstrating how quickly Africa’s food crisis is getting worse. Eighty percent of Africans who experience severe food Insecurity reside in war-torn nations; famine has been proven in Sudan and reported in areas of South Sudan and Mali. The three nations with the highest rates of severe food insecurity are Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, each of which has more than 20 million affected.