Fighting for Africans’ Hearts and Minds in the Context of the 2022 War in Ukraine

Abstract

The war in Ukraine is a theatre of struggle not only for the parties militarily engaged in the conflict, but for wider spheres. Despite its regional character, the war also has a multidimensional impact on a number of other states in the world, polarising the attitudes of their societies into three main groups: those supporting Ukraine, those expressing understanding of Moscow's actions, and a set of so-called 'non-aligned' states. This article describes how strategic communications by different actors have, through historical, political, economic, technological, social and cultural levers the potential to win the support of governments and societies in Africa. The Russian--Ukrainian conflict, unlike many other armed confrontations in Africa had, from an information security perspective, become a global conflict long before open kinetic action began. The multilateral involvement of the leaders of both the United States and the European Union, first through attempts to resolve the dispute amicably and then in military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, is unprecedented. This in itself can be perceived as a bitter pill to swallow for African countries beset by political, religious and climatic turmoil, which, despite their longer history of hardships, have not received equivalent, or even due attention.