Russian Disinformation Strategies in Africa

Speaker: Dr. Mark Duerksen (Research Associate, Africa Center for Strategic Studies)

Date: 30 August 2022

Speaker Session Summary

SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Mark Duerksen (Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University) as part of its SMA “Anticipating the Future Operational Environment” (AFOE) Speaker Series.

Africa is a frequent target for Russian information operations (IO), keeping Russia from being politically isolated, weakening democratic ideals, and strengthening the Kremlin’s regime security. Russia is deploying IO in Africa to pursue a variety of strategic objectives, including a) unobstructed access to natural resources, b) lucrative mineral and economic contracts, and c) preventing African countries from levying sanctions. Africa’s information space is already susceptible to malign operations; however, Russia’s IO is further degrading African countries’ information space. Dr. Duerksen stated that truthful information is becoming increasingly sparse in African media. Russian Television (RT) exacerbates this issue by allowing other media organizations on the continent to republish fake or misleading stories without restrictions.

Russia also uses media organizations in Africa as proxies to further pro-Russian narratives at a high volume and does it continuously. These proxies also allow Russia to deny that it is active in certain countries and regions. In one of the countries in which Russia is involved by way of proxies, the Central African Republic, journalists that post stories critical of authoritarian leaders are being murdered. This demonstrates how democratic principles are being undermined on the continent even further. To counter Russia’s malign IO, Dr. Duerksen stated that the US could help build awareness of the extent and impact of disinformation, support African countries’ capacity to counter disinformation, and impose costs on the architects of disinformation. 

Speaker Session Recording

Briefing Materials

Biography:

Dr. Mark Duerksen is a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, one of six U.S. Department of Defense Regional Centers. His research focuses on Africa’s unparalleled urbanization and the security challenges and opportunities this shifting landscape presents. His current portfolios include analyzing the growing threat of disinformation campaigns on the continent’s changing information ecosystems and Nigeria’s governance and security trends. Trained as a historian, he brings deep knowledge of the underlying land, governance, social, and developmental dynamics driving current tensions and conflicts in and around the continent’s cities. Dr. Duerksen’s projects at the Africa Center include tracking security-related news and strategic trends across the continent and creating analytic maps and infographics to visualize spatial patterns and historical precedents. His maps of Lagos have been recognized through various awards, and he has used spatial analysis to examine the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone and the historical development of transportation networks across Africa. His background includes training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and writing on African art and architecture. Dr. Duerksen holds a Ph.D. in African History from Harvard University and a BA in Political and Social Thought from the University of Virginia. His dissertation research on the history of Lagos’s ecology, housing, and politics was funded by a Boren Fellowship (National Security Education Program) and a Frederick Sheldon Fellowship (Harvard). Previously, he taught at Hunter College in New York and the African School of Economics in Benin.

This speaker session supported SMA’s Anticipating the Future Operational Environment (AFOE) project. For additional speaker sessions and project publication, please visit the AFOE project page.