The Game of the Ear: Russian Disinformation Networks in West Africa

On August 19th, the Foreign Ministers of the Alliance of Sahel states–encompassing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger–denounced and condemned the "open and assumed support of the government of Ukraine for international terrorism, particularly in the Sahel." The letter, addressed to the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) requested the contents of the document and its annex "be brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as official documents of the Council.".Just over a fortnight before this letter was sent, the nation of Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine over the comments of Andriy Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence spokesman, who claimed that the Tuareg rebels–whom the Malian government in its different forms have fought against since 2012–received 'necessary information' which enabled the rebels to conduct a devastating ambush on the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries near the commune of Tinzaouaten at the end of July..In its communique, the Malian junta stated that "the Republic of Mali fully adheres to the diagnosis established by the Russian Federation which has nevertheless warned the world, for years, about the neo-Nazi and villainous nature of the Ukrainian authorities, today allies of international terrorism…".The painting of Ukraine as a supporter of international terrorism by Mali and its allies, notably Niger, who followed Mali's footsteps in cutting ties with Ukraine, further serves Russian interests in the Sahel and West Africa–a region which the African Center for Strategic Studies has claimed is most targeted in disinformation campaigns. According to the Center, nearly 40 percent of the continent's disinformation campaigns target West Africa, and nearly half of all the campaigns in the region are connected to Russia..Proving absolutely the existence of a link between a focused disinformation campaign and the Russian state has proved increasingly difficult for open source investigators and journalists alike due to the inherently convoluted nature of disinformation networks. This, coupled with a media environment that favors the Russian state in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, creates as an unintended consequence, the 'Game of the Ear.'.Known in some nations as 'Chinese Whispers' the Game of the Ear refers to a situation in which information is passed from one individual or organization to the next and is slightly changed each time it is told..What is intriguing about the case of alleged Ukrainian involvement in Mali–specifically the allegation that Ukrainian drones were used at the battle of Tinzaouaten–is the fact that the so-called 'Game of the Ear' was initiated by the French press 'Le Monde' and doused, 18 days later, by the British press 'Reuters.'.In the time between the publishing of Le Monde's article, titled 'In Mali, the shadow of Ukraine behind the rebels at war against Wagner's Russian mercenaries,' on August 1st, and the publishing on August 18th of Reuter's article titled, 'Malian Tuareg separatists say they have not received aid from Ukraine," West Africa's disinformation networks truly came alive..A Background.The highly publicized battle of Tinzaouaten (July 25-27) shone a spotlight directly on Russia's activities in the Sahel, something that the West has attempted to do since the turning of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, towards the Russian sphere of influence..The decimation of nearly an entire convoy of Malian military personnel and their Russian auxiliaries by Tuareg rebels and Islamic militants thus proved to be an incident too tempting for Ukraine to pass up. In the following days, Andriy Yusov claimed the Tuaregs had received necessary information from his government, while the Kyiv Post claimed in a now debunked article that the Tuaregs raised the Ukrainian flag in the battle's aftermath..And while it stands as a strategic move for Ukraine to claim they are willing to fight Russia wherever she is, even through the use of proxies, this claim proved to be a catalyst for a devastatingly complex disinformation campaign to crawl its way through West African information systems..What is of note, however, is the striking difference in Ukraine's responses to claims of alleged support in Mali and in Sudan, where Ukraine's Special Services conducted drone strikes on Wagner mercenaries in September 2023..When asked about Ukraine's alleged role in conducting a series of drone strikes on Wagner mercenaries near Khartoum, a military source speaking to CNN described the operation as the work of a "non-Sudanese military.".The source then noted that the "Ukrainian Special Services were likely responsible.".In comparison to Yusov's bold statement on July 29th that "the [Tuareg] rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.".Why such a discrepancy in responses? It may be because proving Ukrainian support for the Tuaregs may be nigh impossible, with Nigerian strategic warning intelligence consultant Hilly-Cookey Gam stating that "we are almost certain the GUR (Defence Intelligence of Ukraine) did not provide direct support to the Tuaregs. The GUR lacks the capabilities and networks to act independently in the Sahel.".Nevertheless, on August 1st, Le Monde published its article. In it, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, the spokesman for the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA)–an umbrella group of Tuareg rebel movements–claimed, "with the Ukrainians, we face the same Russian threat. So, naturally, we need to show solidarity. We have exchanged information on Wagner's capabilities and modus operandi. The Ukrainians have promised to go further.".Below this, the French publication states, "according to corroborating sources, the cooperation is not limited to intelligence sharing: Ukrainian special services have trained Malian rebels in the handling of small homemade drones loaded with explosives, an aerial weapon regularly used in their war against the Russian army," noting that Ramadane did not confirm these alleged drone training courses, instead stating that "all material means necessary to confront the enemy have been used.".The Point?.As the battle of Tinzaouaten raged over three days, no source, not the Islamic militants, nor the Tuaregs, nor the Russian mercenaries mentioned the use of drones. This did not stop the story from catching, however, with the Kyiv Independent publishing on August 3rd, 'Ukrainian Special Services train Mali rebels to operate drones, media reports.'.This Is Where it Gets Interesting.Two days later, the story hit African media channels, beginning with an article published by 'Afrique Media TV' on August 5th under the title 'Ukraine accused of training Tuareg separatists to destabilize Mali.' Reading more like a statement than a journalistic article, the publication stated, "The Kyiv regime, true to its terrorist traditions, has allied with armed groups in the Sahel to promote its geopolitical interests. By associating with separatist and terrorist groups, Ukraine is contributing to the destabilization of Mali. This situation demands an international response to support the Malian government's efforts and restore peace and stability in the region. The collaboration between the Malian armed forces and the people is essential to overcome this ordeal and defeat the enemies of peace.".Afrique Media TV, based in Douala, Cameroon, appears prima facie as a classic African Media channel, covering updates across the continent in French..It was in September of 2023 however, that the channel had already been labeled by investigators from Code For Africa (CFA) as the Kremlin's new African mouthpiece..In December 2022 already, the channel had signed a partnership agreement with Russia Today (RT), a Russian state-owned media outlet..A two-year long monitoring project by CFA found that the channel's CEO and director general, Justin B. Tagouh, had developed a close relationship with the now-deceased former Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin..Appearing in a photo together shaking hands, the relationship stretched further, with Afrique Media journalists interviewing Prigozhin in May 2023..The link between the channel and the Russian state thus appears clear, with Code For Africa investigators concluding, "the media outlet's historical ties with the Wagner Group and its active promotion of pro-Russian content underscore a deliberate strategy to amplify the interests of both the Wagner Group and, by extension, the Russian state across Africa.".A Quick Trip to Niger.On August 8th, Bana Wagana Ibrahim, the Secretary General of the 'Patriotic Front for Sovereignty' (FPS) in Niger, a murky civil society/political organization that staunchly supports Niger's ruling military junta under General Abdourahamane Tchiani, posted three images on his Facebook account..The images depicted a Chinese commercial DJI Mavic drone, fitted with a self made dropping mechanism for a Vog-17 type grenade or similar munition..Inscribed on the drones 'homemade' munition holder was "not for sale" in Ukrainian. According to an expert on drones, "since the dropper is likely 'homemade,' whoever produced it did so strictly for military purposes. This was likely done professionally by a Ukrainian military unit and is saying do not sell for that purpose alone, to warn people not to sell the item due to potential security risks.".Accompanying the images was a statement from Mr. Ibrahim, announcing, "New proof of Ukraine's involvement in supporting terrorists! The photo shows a drone found at the site of an attack by terrorists against Malian government troops and their Russian allies in Tinzaouatene. Images on the Internet indicate that these are the same drones used by the Ukrainian army during the war with Russia. There is also a Ukrainian inscription saying "not for sale". According to reliable sources, the Malian army is currently studying the drone's flight controller and will soon confirm that it is indeed a Ukrainian drone.".Just exactly how Mr Ibrahim–a Nigerien civilian–obtained images of the alleged drone used at the battle of Tinzaouaten in Mali, before Malian channels, is unknown. Nonetheless, Mr. Ibrahim's Facebook was the first place the image of the alleged drone can be found, raising questions around the image's legitimacy..Additionally, Russian mercenary sources have pointed to the fact that the area surrounding Tinzaouaten is still under the control of the Tuaregs, raising further questions around the possibility of the Malian army retrieving such a drone from the area..Back to Mohamed Bazoum.Under Niger's civilian President Mohamed Bazoum, Bana Wagana Ibrahim had been described by local press in May 2023, as a 'militant of the main opposition party.'.A supporter of the nation's former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, Bana was forced to delete a Facebook post in which he claimed Nigerien driving permits were not biometric despite statements from Haroun Printing, the company that manufactured the licenses, affirming the biometric nature of the cards..In its reply, Haroun Printing alleged, "he [Bana] is now known for his many slanderous publications which he is sometimes forced to deny or delete from his facebook page.".Since the overthrow of President Bazoum by General Tchiani in July 2023, Bana has maintained a position of power, establishing close ties with the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP)–the country's ruling military junta..Enter Adrien Bocquet.On August 10th, Afrique Media TV posted on X a link to a YouTube video titled, 'Exclusive: Ukraine implications in Mali.'.In the video, a man named Adrien Bocquet, a French-Russian journalist who refers to himself as a war reporter for Afrique Media, states, "today we have the proof that Ukrainians use drones and kamikaze drones on Malian soil. "."As a military ballistics expert, along with other expert colleagues in this field, we can confirm today that we have in hand several parts of these drones that are held by the Malian Army. And indeed, they are Ukrainian-made drones. Several parts are also American-made….Yes, even today, there are several units of the Ukrainian special forces operating in the shadows, so-called sabotage units, which carry out missions against the Malian army and its allies, including the Russian army, which are allies of the Malian army.".Adrien Bocquet, formally a French soldier, traveled to Ukraine on a 'humanitarian mission' in mid-April 2022, returning after 16 days. In May of that same year, Bocquet appeared as a guest on France's Sud Radio, during which he claimed that the Bucha Massacre–which took place in March 2022 and in which nearly 500 Ukrainian civilians were killed by Russian soldiers–was the work of Ukraine's Azov regiment..In January 2023, Bocquet applied for Asylum in Russia and was granted Russian citizenship in February. Bocquet now works as a 'war reporter' for Afrique Media TV, illustrating the link between the Russian state and the disinformation whirlwind sweeping across West Africa..Russian Echo Chamber.On August 11th, Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP) a pro-Kremlin tabloid published an article titled, 'Afrique Media: Ukrainian special forces used drones in battle against Malian army,' noting in its first sentence, "African TV channel reports on the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) by Ukrainian special forces in Mali.".The insertion of 'African media channel' serves to authenticate the claim, as reports from a so-called 'local channel' are more likely to be taken as legitimate..This forms part of the disinformation echo chamber between Africa and Russia, which oftentimes catches wind amongst legitimate local press who are unable to discern the validity of the claims due to the governmental control on the flow of information throughout the Sahel..A day later, on August 12th, MaliJet, a pro-military junta press site published an article titled, 'health records and drones: evidence of Ukrainian fighters in Africa discovered.'.Referencing a KP article from August 9th, MaliJet claimed that two health cards had been recovered from the Malian commune of Kidal, the capital of Kidal region, and which was up until November 2023, a Tuareg stronghold..In November 2023, the commune was retaken by the Malian army and its Russian auxiliaries..In its August 9th article, KP published two images of health cards which appeared to contain both English and Russian writing. They were dated October 2023 and filled out incorrectly, raising questions about the validity of the images. KP then went on to argue that the existence of these health cards pointed to the presence of Ukrainian forces in Mali as early as October 2023, although without providing further evidence..Russia Today (RT), who had signed a contract with Afrique Media TV in 2022, published on August 13th, 'Ukrainian drones used in African Jihadist Attacks – media,' claiming that "Pictures obtained by the outlet [Afrique Media TV] and shared with RT show the wreckage of a UAV downed by Malian forces that was identified as being of Ukrainian origin. According to the news outlet, the pictures were provided by the Malian military," making no mention of Bana Wagana Ibrahim, the image's original disseminator..By this time, Burkina24, a local media company from Burkina Faso had caught wind of the alleged drone, publishing on August 15th, 'A Ukrainian drone found in Mali: New proof of support for terrorists,' with the article touching on the increasing tensions between the European nation and the Sahelian juntas..And Scene.Almost 18 days after Ukrainian drones and Tuareg rebels were mentioned in the same sentence by Le Monde, British press agency Thomson Reuters moved in to end the 'Game of the Ear' through their own discussion with Tuareg spokesman Ramadane..Titled, 'Malian Tuareg separatists say they have not received aid from Ukraine,' the spokesman states, "we can clearly say that we received no outside help for the fighting at Tinzaouaten," when asked about historical help from Ukraine, Ramadane explained, "No, we have not received any assistance from Ukraine.".Now What?.Highlighting the complexities of modern disinformation warfare and its effects on geopolitics, this debacle between Ukraine and the Sahel's juntas, namely Mali and Niger, illustrates how actors with vested interests such as Russia's Adrien Bocquet and Niger's Bana Wagana Ibrahim are able to manipulate information in a region where media and internet freedom is low..'The Game of the Ear' phenomenon evidences how media channels, particularly those in Africa that are close to the Russian state, intentionally manipulate information in favor of Russia and its wider objectives in the African continent and elsewhere, i.e. Ukraine..Russian mercenary sources in Mali have themselves labeled the 'Ukrainian trace in the Azawad conflict' as "woven from myths and spurred on by the Special Services from Kyiv.".Thus, while attempting to announce a 'win' over Russia, whether factual or not, intense and deeply rooted disinformation networks hardwired to favor Russian objectives in the region, sprung to action creating a media storm which is likely to have a lasting impact on the minds of those in the Sahel–where information in its pure form is scarce.