Eight pallbearers – some carrying tracksuits emblazoned with the FIFA brand – carried a coffin on their shoulders. Alongside them, referee whistles echoed the tune of a track being sung by the funeral procession.
It was September 2020, and lots of of individuals had gathered at a sports activities stadium within the Central African Republic (CAR) to bid farewell to Jean Claude Sendeoli.
Sendeoli was a trainer at a secondary college within the capital, Bangui, and a referee for the nation’s soccer federation. After his loss of life, college students posted messages on the college’s Fb web page to recollect their much-loved trainer whereas FIFA named him in its 2020 obituaries, closing the guide on his journey.
However what no one knew was that even after he was laid to relaxation, his identification was not.
Within the years that adopted, pictures of Sendeoli would develop into a part of a pro-Russian propaganda marketing campaign – one which used his picture to create a pretend persona whose articles have been printed in media retailers in additional than a dozen African nations.
And it was the pictures and movies of his ultimate farewell that helped Al Jazeera uncover the propaganda marketing campaign and show {that a} man who claimed to be a geopolitical knowledgeable didn’t exist in any respect.
Paid-for content material
“Good night, sir. My identify is Aubin Koutele, I’m a journalist for TogoMedia24,” learn the February 2022 WhatsApp message obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit).
“I want to know the situations of publishing an already edited article in your web site,” wrote Koutele, who edits and publishes the Togolese information web site.
The reply from the Burkinabe newspaper got here shortly.
“We are going to take a look, and if it aligns with our editorial pointers, we’ll publish it,” the editor replied.
Like many media retailers around the globe, income for publications in Burkina Faso has dwindled.
Because of this, many have resorted to discovering new sources of earnings, together with publishing paid-for content material. Often, these paid articles promote a services or products, however generally they’re of a distinct nature.
This was one such case.
Koutele, the journalist who approached the Burkinabe editor, despatched over the primary of a number of articles. “Article not signed,” the editor instructed Koutele, referring to the lacking byline.
“I’m sorry. Gregoire Cyrille Dongobada [is the writer],” Koutele replied.
Shortly after, the article was printed. Koutele later despatched the newspaper fee for the piece, about $80.
Stolen identification
Gregoire Cyrille Dongobada, in accordance with his social media profiles, is a political and navy analyst from CAR who now lives in Paris. He’s printed at the very least 75 articles, primarily concerning the political scenario in Francophone Africa.
He focuses on the function of Russia, France and the United Nations, and his articles have headlines like: “The explanations for anti-French sentiment in West Africa” and “France’s jealousy of the successes of the Russian presence in Mali”.
Analysing the articles, a transparent viewpoint comes throughout in nearly all of them – one which presents French affect in Africa as detrimental for the continent and the presence of Russian troopers as helpful.
However, on nearer inspection, some issues don’t add up about Dongobada.
An evaluation by the I-Unit reveals that Dongobada’s first article appeared in February 2021 with no proof of him current earlier than that.
He claims to be a political and navy knowledgeable, but has no hyperlinks to any college, assume tank or personal establishment, and there are not any analysis papers or educational publications beneath his identify.
Dongobada appears to exist solely on social media – particularly Fb and X – and as a author for retailers throughout French-speaking Africa, from Senegal to Mali and Cameroon to Burkina Faso. Al Jazeera reached out to a number of of the retailers that printed him. None the I-Unit spoke to had ever talked to Dongobada instantly.
After which there are the profile footage he makes use of on social media.
Dongobada doesn’t simply seem like Jean-Claude Sendeoli, the trainer and referee whose funeral was held in September 2020. Dongobada’s X and Fb profiles use considered one of Sendeoli’s pictures from 2017 (flipped proper to left), indicating it was merely taken from the deceased man’s Fb web page.
“Somebody, whether or not a state or a nonstate actor, is utilizing the identification of somebody who’s died to do their very own propaganda,” stated Michael Amoah, a political scientist on the London Faculty of Economics, whose analysis appears at postcolonial politics and energy transitions in Africa.
Disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz stated she was “fairly stunned they selected somebody who has died as a substitute of simply utilizing the profile of a dwelling particular person or probably utilizing synthetic intelligence” to assemble the false identification.
An evaluation confirmed that Dongobada isn’t the one seemingly nonexistent particular person to write down for Francophone African media: The I-Unit recognized greater than 15 writers and at the very least 200 articles printed since early 2021.
Among the writers, however not all, had bylines within the paid-for articles Koutele submitted to retailers for publication. A lot of the writers name themselves freelance journalists of their newspaper bios with some – like Dongobada – self-identifying as analysts or specialists. Nonetheless, for every of them, there is no such thing as a employment historical past and, in lots of circumstances, no social media profile or different proof to point they’re an actual particular person.
As with Dongobada, writers who don’t seem to exist having written articles essential of France and the UN level to a concerted effort to convey a political message, specialists stated.
A lot of the articles Al Jazeera analysed weren’t solely essential of France’s function in its former colonies but additionally remarkably constructive about Russia. Every of the nations the place the articles appeared has seen an elevated Russian presence, and a few are led by navy governments beneficial in direction of Moscow.
The article biases and metadata from Koutele’s correspondence uncovered by the I-Unit level to probably Russian involvement, in accordance with the specialists Al Jazeera spoke to.
“I feel a variety of states are engaged in info operations via their covert mechanisms,” Jankowicz stated when introduced with the I-Unit’s proof.
“What makes Russia completely different is that they’re doing this by taking up personas,” added the knowledgeable, who’s CEO of the American Daylight Undertaking, which combats on-line disinformation.
Francafrique falling, Russia rising?
France was as soon as the colonial ruler of greater than a dozen nations in Africa. Now, after many years of financial, navy and cultural prominence, its energy on the continent is waning – whereas a rising variety of West and Central African leaders open their doorways to Russia.
“France desires to keep up Francafrique, which is the political system whereby colonial France retains its former colonies in examine, notably economically,” Amoah stated. “Though these nations have gained independence, … they’re nonetheless not economically unbiased.”
In line with Russian political analyst Alexander Nadzharov, solely a small fraction of Africans benefitted beneath this method.
“The populations of these nations are uninterested in the present socioeconomic mannequin as a result of they don’t see it working for them,” stated Nadzharov, who researches Russia’s and France’s function in Francophone Africa on the Increased Faculty of Economics in Moscow.
“The important thing pillar of the Francafrique system is the elite networks,” he stated, talking about France’s affect within the area, the place leaders, together with Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, are robust French allies. “Everybody has studied in French universities, everybody has financial institution accounts in France, everybody has belongings in France. The notion is that the elites are purchased – that the elites are too tied to the West.”
Because of this, the connection between France and the populations of many Francophone African nations has develop into strained. This rising resentment has just lately had an impact on the interior politics of many nations within the area.
Previously 5 years, there have been greater than 12 tried coups in West and Central Africa, and 9 of them have been profitable. Most occurred in former French colonies the place rulers pleasant to – and in lots of circumstances supported by – France have been in cost.
New leaders have sought to lower French affect, from Chad and Niger ordering French troops to depart to Senegal renaming monuments and rewriting textbooks.
In the meantime, a regional vacuum is creating a possibility for Russia to make inroads and enhance its affect, resembling its involvement in mining in CAR and safety in Mali and Burkina Faso.
On the similar time, it appears to be finessing its picture via media affect campaigns just like the one recognized by Al Jazeera.
“Russia’s MO for a very long time has been to establish fissures or grievances in society and to essentially tear at these fissures, to tear the material of society aside,” Jankowicz stated.
“Russia has used false amplifiers, pretend accounts earlier than, most notably within the [2016] US election,” she defined.
“The thought is to provide the guise of grassroots assist to the pro-Russian viewpoint. And on this case, it’s a viewpoint that in all probability many individuals in Africa agree with within the postcolonial world.”
Two months after Togolese journalist Koutele initiated contact with the Burkinabe media outlet, he reached out to it once more over WhatsApp.
“I’ve one other article for you,” he wrote.
“The shopper agrees with the identical value.”
For the primary time, Koutele indicated he was a intermediary, approaching and paying media within the area on the behest of another person.
Different indicators steered he was additionally only a small cog in a a lot bigger machine.
Among the WhatsApp messages he despatched editors confirmed they have been forwarded from another person. This indicated a 3rd social gathering was nearly actually offering Koutele with the articles and cash.
By analysing the WhatsApp messages and the unique Phrase paperwork containing the articles, Al Jazeera discovered clues as to who was behind the marketing campaign.
Each digital file incorporates metadata inside it – tiny scraps of details about the file itself. This information can reveal when a file was created, the language of the machine it was created on and even hints concerning the creator.
On this case, the information revealed two noteworthy particulars. First, a part of the metadata of every doc was in Cyrillic, the alphabet utilized in Japanese Europe, one thing uncommon for articles written by French-speaking journalists in Francophone Africa. Second, one of many paperwork had a 10-digit quantity in it. The primary digit was a 7, which can be the nation code for Russia.
There have been “many bumbling errors” by the creators of this affect marketing campaign that led to the uncovering of their operation, Jankowicz famous when trying on the proof introduced by Al Jazeera.
Utilizing telephone quantity recognition apps, the I-Unit was in a position to reverse search the 10-digit quantity. The app revealed the identify of the particular person the telephone quantity belonged to: Seth Boampong Wiredu. Each second names are frequent in Ghana.
So how did this Ghanaian identify find yourself linked to a Russian telephone quantity in a doc that was a part of an obvious propaganda marketing campaign in French West Africa?
Though his quantity showing on this doc doesn’t instantly show involvement on this marketing campaign, Wiredu has a historical past of being linked to comparable campaigns.
Affect campaigns and the Wagner Group
Seth Wiredu moved from Ghana to Russia in 2008 to review within the metropolis of Novgorod, 570km (355 miles) northwest of Moscow. He spent a number of years there and began a enterprise as a translator. His Russian tax paperwork present that by June 2019, he had obtained Russian citizenship.
In 2020, Wiredu discovered a job working for a corporation identified for its propaganda campaigns: the Web Analysis Company (IRA) primarily based in St Petersburg.
The IRA gained notoriety for its involvement within the 2016 US presidential election. In line with particular counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in that election, the IRA carried out “a social media marketing campaign designed to impress and amplify political and social discord in the US”.
The corporate, which had hyperlinks to Russian intelligence companies, was based by Yevgeny Prigozhin, then-head of a mercenary power and an in depth confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However after the 2016 election interference, US-based social media corporations like Fb and Twitter improved their methods to attempt to forestall future coordinated propaganda campaigns by state actors like Russia.
“Social media platforms are in search of adverts bought in roubles or pretend accounts created by Russia, so it has needed to launder its disinformation,” Jankowicz defined.
“It has needed to pay middlemen and people to make sure that that info will get on the market.”
This turned clear in 2020 when CNN revealed that the IRA employed individuals in Nigeria and Ghana to put up politically inflammatory content material on Fb and Twitter earlier than that 12 months’s US presidential election.
In line with sources CNN spoke to on the time, it was Wiredu who employed and paid them for his or her work within the marketing campaign. Wiredu denied being concerned with the IRA when confronted by CNN.
In 2021, he appeared in a Russian motion film referred to as Vacationer, which tells the story of Russian navy operatives in CAR. The movie was funded by the Wagner Group, a non-public navy firm with shut ties to the Russian authorities based by Prigozhin, the person who additionally began the IRA.
As a non-public navy firm, Wagner turned the go-to safety equipment in a number of African nations, most notably CAR, the place its important base of operations is positioned. In CAR, Wagner initially got here in to coach the native military. This is able to develop into a blueprint for different nations like Mali and Burkina Faso, the place Russia’s navy and civilian presence elevated after Wagner deployed its fighters. What was Wagner is now slowly being included into the Russian Ministry of Defence and has been rebranded as Africa Corps.
Some questioned if issues would change when Prigozhin died in a suspicious aircraft crash in 2023 after difficult Putin over his dealing with of the conflict in Ukraine. Nonetheless, his loss of life didn’t alter Russia’s plans for Africa, Amoah stated.
“When Prigozhin handed, the very first thing that occurred was Sergey Lavrov, the Russian international minister, made direct contact with the African nations the place Wagner performs a key function [and said] that though Prigozhin had handed, Russia’s international coverage stays the identical.”
The combat for affect
In line with each Nadzharov and Amoah, Russia’s goals in West and Central Africa are completely different from what France has traditionally been attempting to attain.
“Russia is excited about very pragmatic cooperation that results in cash flowing into Russia,” Nadzharov stated, pointing to Russia being a possible provider of fertiliser, arms and equipment.
“As a result of we’re excited about making a living, we will supply extra … beneficiant phrases to these African nations than the French are suggesting,” the Russian analyst stated.
“Russia isn’t attempting to make shopper states out of those nations. Russia has no curiosity to do this nor truly the capability to do this,” Nadzharov added.
Amoah stated: “France desires to keep up its affect. And they also see Russia as competitors. And France has made it fairly clear that they would favor African nations to take care of them moderately than Russia.”
This combat for affect has led to each nations adopting their very own methods to influence native populations of their goals.
“They each have very completely different techniques,” Amoah stated.
“Russia will stage propaganda, and we clearly can see that this [influence campaign] is propaganda.
“With France, it’s truly performed via the correct state media.”
Shops like France24 or Radio France Internationale, that are funded by the French authorities, “will propagate its personal gospel, that ‘we’re right here to assist Africa, to combat terrorism, to assist assist Africa with commerce and financial prosperity,’” he famous.
However ultimately, “all of them have the identical agenda actually: affect, affect.”
Proper to answer
In response to Al Jazeera’s questions on his involvement, Koutele stated neither he nor his outlet TogoMedia24 entered into any settlement as a part of an affect marketing campaign on the behest of Russia-linked purchasers and that he was not conscious of the existence of a pro-Russian affect marketing campaign.
Koutele additionally denied performing as an middleman as a part of any affect marketing campaign and stated he was serving to colleagues get printed.
“As journalists, we have now colleagues throughout Africa with whom we collaborate. In the event that they ask for our assist, we assist them and vice versa,” he instructed Al Jazeera.
The French Ministry for Europe and Overseas Affairs stated France has been engaged on reworking its “historic partnership” with Africa, particularly within the areas of safety and finance.
“France has been militarily concerned within the combat in opposition to terrorism within the Sahel, notably in Mali, on the request of the states involved and with due respect for his or her sovereignty.”
It added: “France has been reconfiguring its defence partnerships with the intention of shifting away from the logic of navy bases.”
It additionally stated France is now not current on the governing our bodies of the Central Financial institution of West African States and is open to financial reforms, on condition that 14 nations nonetheless use the CFA forex tying them to France’s Treasury.
Lastly, it acknowledged that French media retailers publishing internationally beneath the state-owned France Medias Monde are strictly free and unbiased.
The opposite events talked about on this article, together with the Russian authorities, the Wagner firm, Wiredu and the particular person posting as Dongobada on social media didn’t reply to Al Jazeera’s inquiries.
