BBC uncovers massive online network spreading pro-UAE propaganda to 'shape public opinion' in Africa
Hundreds of fake social media accounts using stolen and AI-generated pictures of Somali influencers are being used to whitewash Sudan's Rapid Support Forces
News Desk
https://thecradle.co/articles-id/33829?s=09
OCT 22, 2025
(Photo credit: Middle East Online)
A BBC investigation https://www.bbc.com/arabic/articles/cwypx35vryqo published on 21 October revealed a large-scale online network using stolen images of Somali women and influencers to spread propaganda favorable to the UAE and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeting African audiences across the region.
The network operated more than 100 fake accounts across X, Facebook, and TikTok – many of which impersonated Somali Muslim women and lifestyle influencers.
According to BBC data analysis, these accounts published over 47,000 posts between January 2023 and September 2025, reaching more than 215 million users.
Using both real and AI-generated photos, the pages posted synchronized multilingual content praising the UAE as a benevolent force in Somalia while attacking the Sudanese Armed Forces and defending the Janjaweed.
Several women told BBC that their photos were used without consent.
one influencer said.This character is not me. My images are being used, and I can't do anything to these people who are impersonating me,
Posts by the fake accounts claimed that the Sudanese army had committed a massacre in the city of Al-Obeid, but BBC and Sudan’s Beam Reports found no verified evidence that any such attack took place.
Analysts said the fabricated stories appeared shortly after Sudanese media reported that the Sudanese Air Force had destroyed a UAE aircraft https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/7 ... utm_source carrying foreign mercenaries.
Disinformation researcher Marc Owen Jones described the accounts as “electronic puppets” forming part of a broader propaganda network advancing UAE foreign policy in Africa.
Independent analyst Alessandro Accorsi added that such operations are often managed by private public relations firms contracted by political actors.
Meta and TikTok confirmed that they removed several accounts for
and impersonation.covert influence operations
BBC concluded that the network was used to manipulate online discourse and conceal the UAE’s role https://thecradle.co/articles/shadow-ar ... n-and-gaza in supporting the Janjaweed militia, accused of atrocities in Sudan.
The UAE has denied accusations of providing financial or military support to the RSF, but Sudanese officials continue to allege that Abu Dhabi supplies the group with funds and weapons through intermediary networks.
