By Estea Rademeyer.
A sophisticated wave of coordinated disinformation has targeted Africa’s critical minerals sector, reaching nearly 300 million users across six countries, according to a new report released today by AI intelligence platform Refute.
The report, titled “Africa Decoded: How Geopolitical Forces Impact Disinformation Threats in Africa’s Mining Sector, “reveals that the continent’s mineral wealth—essential for the global energy transition—has become a primary battleground for great-power competition between the U.S., China, and Russia.
Key Findings from Refute
The investigation identified 2,778 bot accounts active across 21 mines in the DRC, Niger, Mali, Rwanda, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire. Despite the relatively small number of accounts, they generated over 22 million engagements, demonstrating the high efficiency of targeted bot networks.
- Geopolitical Triggers: Bot activity spiked in direct response to political shifts. For instance, Mali saw a 417% surge in bot activity in early 2026 when Barrick Gold resumed production, while the DRC experienced a 283% spike surrounding the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement.
- The “Gold” Standard: Gold remains the most manipulated commodity, with activity intensifying whenever global prices rise.
- Niger as a Hotspot: Niger recorded the highest “bot density,” with nearly 600 accounts focused on just two mines following the suspension of French mining licenses.
- Cross-Border Weaponisation: In one instance, a tailings dam collapse in Zambia was strategically repurposed by bot networks in Kenya to stoke anti-Chinese sentiment in unrelated regions.
A New Tool of Economic War
Refute leadership warns that these campaigns are not merely social media noise but deliberate instruments of economic warfare.
“The bot activity we track maps to commodity price spikes and regulatory decisions with disturbing precision,” said Tom Garnett, CEO of Refute. “This has serious operational, financial, and reputational implications for companies operating on the continent.”
Vlad Galu, Refute’s CTO, added that the speed of these campaigns is particularly dangerous. Refute’s AI models now track these behavioural signatures across 100 languages to help organisations deploy “automated response playbooks” before disinformation takes root in local communities.
The report concludes that as the race for energy-transition minerals intensifies, the digital defence of African supply chains will be as critical as physical security.