Mapping the spread of Russian and Chinese contents on the French-speaking African web

Russia and China have developed informational influence strategies over the past decade and are now deploying their vectors on the African continent. Both Moscow and Beijing have implanted their international media in Africa in order to broadcast positive speeches about their presence and activities in the continent. In addition, the informational content of these two States is rebroadcasted by online African relays, allowing for an increasing spread of the messages and representations conveyed by China and Russia through their media. How effective is the informational influence of these two countries on the African continent and how to map its vectors and relays? This study proposes a methodology to identify web actors who spread Chinese and Russian content, as well as an analysis of the public opinion influencing strategies led by these States for African audiences.