DISINFO: The hand of the West is behind terrorism in Africa

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: The hand of the West is behind terrorism in Africa

SUMMARY

The United States provided Ukraine with a lot of weapons, 1/10 of this arsenal would be sufficient to eradicate terrorism in Africa. Instead, they prefer to supply Ukraine, which is known to be a corrupt country that certainly resells those weapons to terrorists, which creates a security threat in Africa.

It can be suspected that the hand of the West is behind terrorism in Africa. If the U.S. were genuinely concerned about global peace, they would help African countries to fight against terrorism instead of helping Ukraine.

RESPONSE

Disinformation suggesting that Western countries, led by the United States, support terrorism to destabilise African countries. This narrative is often associated with France and other former colonial empires, suggesting that they are involved in organising jihadist groups to undermine security in Africa and potentially gain control of mines and natural resources

Accusations that Western countries create or fund terrorism to seize the natural resources of African countries are baseless. On the contrary, efforts are made to address the complex causes of terrorism in Africa. The EU, for instance, seeks to assist African countries in various ways, including security, economic development, addressing the effects of climate change, and improving governance.

The EU's strategic priorities for the Sahel were described in 2021. The EU also plans a military and civil mission in the countries of the gulf of Guinea to:

assist the four countries in redeploying state services in their northern region in an effective and accountable way”.

EU member states are committed to combating terrorism and addressing the root causes that contribute to its development. Furthermore, the U.S. provides assistance to local armies in dealing with the terrorism threat. For example, in July 2023, CBC covered the training of the Nigerian army by U.S. special forces.

The alleged corruption in Ukraine that purportedly fuels a significant weapons black market for crime and terrorism is also a recurring theme in Russian disinformation.

However, there is no concrete evidence supporting these claims. Besides the Ukrainian efforts, US inspectors track weapons and equipment. The Ukrainian government welcomes U.S. officials to go right to the front lines in the war to verify how American-supplied weaponry is being used. Additionally, Europol is working closely with Ukrainian officials to mitigate the threat of arms trafficking into the European Union.

Read also related cases such as: Western countries are rich because they keep Africa in poverty, The West brought terrorism in the Sahel to get Africa's natural resourcesRussia is not responsible for causing famine in AfricaUK plans to send Ukrainian Nazis to Africa to target leaders cooperating with Russia.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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