Information Disorder and Civil Unrest Russian Weaponization of Social Media Platforms in Mali and Burkina Faso – 2020–2022

The article sheds light on the detrimental impact of foreign “information disorder” campaigns on social media. It emphasizes how they can fuel violence, civil unrest, and coups in weak rule-of-law regions. It highlights explicitly Russian influence operations through social media in Mali and Burkina Faso from 2020 to 2022, addressing a gap in the literature on information disorder campaigns and non-kinetic hybrid threats in Africa. The study, employing desk reviews, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews, uncovered how foreign actors manipulated the target audience to disrupt social and political dynamics. These actions could have incited a campaign to overthrow the established order in Mali and Burkina Faso.