Since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, Russia has co-opted Africa into the battleground through an active disinformation campaign.
Since the onset of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has expanded its geopolitical conflict into Africa, transforming the continent into a battleground for a proxy war of influence through targeted disinformation campaigns. Central to these efforts is a narrative accusing the United States of establishing labs in Africa to create biological weapons and trigger disease outbreaks. These unsubstantiated claims not only undermine trust in public health interventions but also exploit Africa as a theatre for a larger global power struggle.
The primary actors in this disinformation campaign include the Russian Ministry of Defence and media outlets either owned by or affiliated with the Russian government, such as Sputnik Africa, RT, Tass, and African Initiative. Additionally, news platforms in countries like India, Nigeria, and Turkey have also contributed to pushing this narrative.
On social media, this narrative has gained traction among Biafran separatist factions in Nigeria and through pan-African content creators. For example, the YouTube channel @Black Culture Diary posted a video in December 2023 titled ‘U.S Bio-weapons In Africa Has Been Discovered’, which has over 141,000 views. Most of the comments reviewed agreed with the content of the video as some of them called for the removal of foreign labs and military bases as well as the severance of ties with Western countries.
