The Russian - Ukrainian War as a Launchpad and Organizing Logic for Dis/Misinformation in Africa: Contemporary War Propaganda Outside the Theatre of Conflict
The Russian - Ukrainian War as a Launchpad and Organizing Logic for Dis/Misinformation in Africa: Contemporary War Propaganda Outside the Theatre of Conflict

Summary/Abstract: The increasing global impact of the Russian – Ukrainian war has likewise had a corresponding effect on the global information ecosystem, resulting to propaganda, disinformation, misinformation and fakes news. States have also seized the opportunity to spread dis/misinformation related and linked to the ongoing war. In Africa, there are instances where propaganda and misinformation have been peddled by adopting happenings in the war front of the Russian - Ukrainian conflict as a springboard to manipulate public information. To that end, this article explores cases where the Russian - Ukrainian war has been deployed as a launchpad and organizing logic for propaganda and misinformation. In researching the contours of contemporary war propaganda with the projection of crisis communication theory as a conceptual benchmark, this study raises two research puzzles: (a) how has African states’ officials used the Russian - Ukrainian war to spread propaganda and disinformation? And (b), to what extent does this pattern echoes the globalization of war propaganda and crisis communication in an age of conflict and turbulence? Using previous studies, secondary documented official statements, and podcasts, we show in this article the different layers and contours of war propaganda in Africa, and conclude that : (a) Russia’s deployment of propaganda, disinformation and information autocracy in Africa is aimed at counteracting the Washington - London - Brussels international world order spearheaded by Western hegemonic power, and most importantly (b), that African states have used the Russian – Ukrainian war as an organizing logic for dis/misinformation and public information manipulation targeted at African publics.

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