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HOW ISRAELI BOT ARMY TARGETED AFRICAN ELECTIONS
Earlier this month, we posted an investigative report by The Guardian newspaper detailing how a covert Israeli operation called Team Jorge, boasted influencing dozens of elections worldwide. They included Nigeria’s in 2015, and the findings were based on an investigation by Paris-based NGO Forbidden Stories.
Well, here’s a look in more detail at how Team Jorge achieved its results by using secret software called AIMS, which weaponises social media to influence public opinion.
Earlier this month, we posted an investigative report by The Guardian newspaper detailing how a covert Israeli operation called Team Jorge, boasted influencing dozens of elections worldwide. They included Nigeria’s in 2015, and the findings were based on an investigation by Paris-based NGO Forbidden Stories.
Well, here’s a look in more detail at how Team Jorge achieved its results by using secret software called AIMS, which weaponises social media to influence public opinion.
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Continued……It’s leader, Tal Hanan, is a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative and is filmed revealing how it works. Clients can hire thousands of fake media accounts, called bots, which look and behave like real people. They have multiple profiles on multiple platforms including email. This army of automated avatars is then used to push particular messaging.
It’s claimed Hanan runs the scheme through an Israeli company, Demoman International, which is registered on a website run by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to promote defence exports. The service is offered to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies that want to manipulate public opinion secretly.
In this video, Guardian journalist, Manisha Ganguly, lays bare the cyber-weaponry.
It’s claimed Hanan runs the scheme through an Israeli company, Demoman International, which is registered on a website run by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to promote defence exports. The service is offered to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies that want to manipulate public opinion secretly.
In this video, Guardian journalist, Manisha Ganguly, lays bare the cyber-weaponry.
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AFRICAN STATES ‘PROTECT ELITES NOT THE POOR’
Recent protests in Kenya over a cost-of-living crisis and unpopular government policy sparked similar demonstrations in other countries including Nigeria, and Uganda.
In this clip, Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and Pan-African activist Brian Kagoro blames the unrest on leaders ignoring the plight of their people. He was speaking at the 2024 National Security Symposium held in Kigali, Rwanda. And he says many governments only look out for the interests of the political elite and multinationals.
Recent protests in Kenya over a cost-of-living crisis and unpopular government policy sparked similar demonstrations in other countries including Nigeria, and Uganda.
In this clip, Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and Pan-African activist Brian Kagoro blames the unrest on leaders ignoring the plight of their people. He was speaking at the 2024 National Security Symposium held in Kigali, Rwanda. And he says many governments only look out for the interests of the political elite and multinationals.
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Continued……. In fact, you don’t have to try hard to think of other examples. Recent revolution coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger saw new military leaderships vow to regain control of resources from foreign interests. The takeovers had widespread public support, but the reaction of the regional bloc ECOWAS was very different. It imposed sanctions on the West African countries and threatened military intervention against Niger before it backtracked.
So, when Mr Kagoro says African states can be very ‘efficient at protecting a few elites’ at the expense of their people, he’s not wrong.
Video credit: @KigaliToday
So, when Mr Kagoro says African states can be very ‘efficient at protecting a few elites’ at the expense of their people, he’s not wrong.
Video credit: @KigaliToday
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THE COST OF SUDAN’S WAR ON CHILDREN
Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis for children in world, according to the UN. The horrific war in Sudan has created the world’s largest population of displaced children.
It’s estimated over four-million have been forced to uproot and a similar number suffer acute malnutrition.
Many have been split from their families, and authorities warn they’re at risk of sex abuse, child labour, and being recruited to fight. They’ve also been traumatised by exposure to the frontlines as battles continue between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces militia.
For those that survive, the future remains bleak. There’s a severe shortage of humanitarian aid, and education has been practically wiped out.
We’ve pulled together some shocking statistics from the UN, aid agencies and charities.
Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis for children in world, according to the UN. The horrific war in Sudan has created the world’s largest population of displaced children.
It’s estimated over four-million have been forced to uproot and a similar number suffer acute malnutrition.
Many have been split from their families, and authorities warn they’re at risk of sex abuse, child labour, and being recruited to fight. They’ve also been traumatised by exposure to the frontlines as battles continue between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces militia.
For those that survive, the future remains bleak. There’s a severe shortage of humanitarian aid, and education has been practically wiped out.
We’ve pulled together some shocking statistics from the UN, aid agencies and charities.
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WHITE PRIVILEGE AT ITS BEST
Statistics have long exposed a two-tier system of policing in the US. In 2021, for example, non-profit organisation Mapping Police Violence found Black people are twice as likely as White people to be shot and killed by officers.
But the stark difference isn’t just borne out by numbers. This comedy clip is a good example of ‘White privilege’ when it comes to policing.
Comedian, Mike Feeney, describes how he once got pulled over by an officer who ended up offering him cuddly kittens. A far cry from the experience of many Black people in America who are racially profiled and disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.
Statistics have long exposed a two-tier system of policing in the US. In 2021, for example, non-profit organisation Mapping Police Violence found Black people are twice as likely as White people to be shot and killed by officers.
But the stark difference isn’t just borne out by numbers. This comedy clip is a good example of ‘White privilege’ when it comes to policing.
Comedian, Mike Feeney, describes how he once got pulled over by an officer who ended up offering him cuddly kittens. A far cry from the experience of many Black people in America who are racially profiled and disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.
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Continued……There have been many well-known cases, including: Rodney King, who was brutally beaten by LAPD officers, in 1991, which led to the Los Angeles riots. Oscar Grant, in 2009, was shot in the back while handcuffed by a BART police officer in Oakland. Philando Castile, in 2016, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Minnesota. And then there’s the case of George Floyd who died during his arrest after a police officer knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, in Minneapolis, in 2020.
The hilarious story shows that policing doesn’t have to be aggressive or confrontational. You can just be respectful to the people you are their to protect and serve. Unfortunately that is simply not the case for everyone.
Video credits: @wilsylvince @comedycellarusa @iammikefeeney
The hilarious story shows that policing doesn’t have to be aggressive or confrontational. You can just be respectful to the people you are their to protect and serve. Unfortunately that is simply not the case for everyone.
Video credits: @wilsylvince @comedycellarusa @iammikefeeney
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From anger in Kenya over plans to hand over a major airport to an Indian multinational, to remembering thousands killed by Storm Daniel, here’s our weekly photo dump.
1. Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Jamaican military and police units arrive at Toussaint Louverture International Airport to join recently deployed Kenyan police as part of a ‘multinational force’.
2. Nairobi, Kenya - Striking airport workers are arrested during demonstrations against government plans to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Indian multinational Adani Group.
3. Gaza, Palestine - Search and rescue teams locate survivors under the rubble after Israeli forces hit the Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Children were among those trapped when a building was heavily damaged.
1. Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Jamaican military and police units arrive at Toussaint Louverture International Airport to join recently deployed Kenyan police as part of a ‘multinational force’.
2. Nairobi, Kenya - Striking airport workers are arrested during demonstrations against government plans to lease Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Indian multinational Adani Group.
3. Gaza, Palestine - Search and rescue teams locate survivors under the rubble after Israeli forces hit the Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Children were among those trapped when a building was heavily damaged.
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4. Gedaref, Sudan - Displaced Sudanese queue to receive food portions at their makeshift camp. Half of Sudan’s population are suffering acute hunger, and 11-million people have been displaced in the war-torn country. The UN describes it as the worst humanitarian crisis for children in world.
5. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Dressed in traditional clothing, the Matabeleland community perform cultural dances in commemoration of Southern African King Mzilikazi, who founded the Ndebele (Matabele) Kingdom.
6. Maiduguri, Nigeria - People help an elderly man after a dam burst saw floodwater sweep through the city. It killed at least 30 people and 400,000 were forced from their homes. Maiduguri is at the epicentre of a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency. It serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast.
5. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Dressed in traditional clothing, the Matabeleland community perform cultural dances in commemoration of Southern African King Mzilikazi, who founded the Ndebele (Matabele) Kingdom.
6. Maiduguri, Nigeria - People help an elderly man after a dam burst saw floodwater sweep through the city. It killed at least 30 people and 400,000 were forced from their homes. Maiduguri is at the epicentre of a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency. It serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast.
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7. Tripoli, Libya - Officials, military and medical personnel remember those killed during Storm Daniel a year ago. Hurricane-strength winds caused two dams to burst, unleashing deadly flooding that razed entire neighbourhoods in the city of Derna, killing over 4,200 people. Thousands were left homeless.
8. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - It is now 2017 in the Ethiopian calendar! Orthodox devotees ushered in Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year holiday with prayers.
8. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - It is now 2017 in the Ethiopian calendar! Orthodox devotees ushered in Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year holiday with prayers.
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On 15 September 1963, four Black girls aged between 11 and 14 were killed when a bomb - planted by members of the local Ku Klux Klan chapter - exploded in a Baptist Church in Alabama.
Four White supremacists were implicated in this act of terror, which involved dynamite sticks placed under the 16th Street Church in Birmingham - as young children prepared for Youth Day Services.
The resulting blast killed Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11) - and injured 17 others.
The bombing marked a turning point in the civil-rights movement, and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the US Congress.
Four White supremacists were implicated in this act of terror, which involved dynamite sticks placed under the 16th Street Church in Birmingham - as young children prepared for Youth Day Services.
The resulting blast killed Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14) and Carol Denise McNair (11) - and injured 17 others.
The bombing marked a turning point in the civil-rights movement, and contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the US Congress.
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Continued……Although the FBI concluded that four known KKK members had committed the crime, no prosecutions were conducted until 1977, when Robert Chambliss was tried and found guilty of first-degree murder. Thomas E. Blanton Jr. was tried in 2001, and Bobby Frank Cherry in 2002. The latter two were convicted on four counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Herman Cash was never charged and died in 1994.
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Media is too big
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WHY IS AFRICAN HAIR SO POLITICAL?
Today is Afro Hair Day, so we’re taking a look at why Black hair is so… political! African hair is not just a style, it is imbued with powerful messaging. Black hair, Afro hair, kinky hair - hair that grows out of African people’s heads - has helped shape narratives for centuries. Wambura Mwai breaks it down.
Today is Afro Hair Day, so we’re taking a look at why Black hair is so… political! African hair is not just a style, it is imbued with powerful messaging. Black hair, Afro hair, kinky hair - hair that grows out of African people’s heads - has helped shape narratives for centuries. Wambura Mwai breaks it down.
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JOHN HENRIK CLARKE ON ORGANISED RELIGION
During the ‘African Crossroads Lecture,’ historian John Henrik Clarke (1915-98) railed against the misuse of organised religion, arguing it has confined African aspirations for freedom.
He was clear in saying to his audience that you don’t have to leave the church, the mosque, or any religion. However, those religions should be used as instruments of liberation.
During the ‘African Crossroads Lecture,’ historian John Henrik Clarke (1915-98) railed against the misuse of organised religion, arguing it has confined African aspirations for freedom.
He was clear in saying to his audience that you don’t have to leave the church, the mosque, or any religion. However, those religions should be used as instruments of liberation.
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