Report by Jared Wedge-Thomas
A dangerous new reality is unfolding across conflict zones in Africa: online hate speech and misinformation are now accelerating violence faster than traditional media or community mechanisms can respond. This alarming trend emerged as the central warning from the ‘Voices in the Shadows: Tackling Online Hate Speech in Conflict Affected Communities‘ forum held on November 10th. Hosted by Digihub Africa in partnership with Radio Dabanga and others, the event forms part of the crucial “Hold Before You Send It” campaign—an initiative fighting to raise digital threat awareness, strengthen media literacy, and empower young people in conflict zones to become more critical consumers and sharers of online content.
The session delivered a nuanced exploration of social media’s dual nature in fragile states, revealing both its unprecedented potential for community empowerment and the urgent need for protective digital safeguards, particularly for vulnerable youth populations.
Experts from Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Kenya presented a consistent pattern: misinformation now spreads with viral velocity, consistently outpacing factual information and frequently spilling over into physical violence with devastating consequences.
Opening the discussion, DRC digital rights advocate Muderhwa Seraphin Mushagalusa, Executive Director of Digihub Africa and Co-Chair of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network, framed the challenge in stark terms. “We must create safer, more inclusive online spaces,” he insisted, emphasizing that the rising tide of digital extremism demands coordinated action across all levels—from local communities to international platforms and governments.
Radio Dabanga journalist Amgad Abdelgadir detailed how Sudan’s media collapse has created a dangerous information vacuum. “With traditional journalism decimated by conflict, armed factions and extremist voices have rushed to fill the void,” he explained. “Digital platforms aren’t just reflecting the conflict—they’re actively shaping its trajectory and intensifying its brutality.”
South Sudanese human rights advocate Adeng Leek highlighted the paradoxical role of platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp in regions where physical infrastructure has collapsed. “These platforms become lifelines for communication and coordination in areas without reliable electricity or internet, yet the same tools that connect communities can also be weaponized to tear them apart.”
Eastern DRC activist Joséphine Malimukono echoed this duality, noting that while social media can disseminate life-saving information during attacks, it can equally place users in immediate danger through location tracking and targeted harassment campaigns.
Kenya-based youth organiser Ebongo Honore emphasized the borderless nature of digital influence, observing that “a single viral post can galvanize action across multiple countries simultaneously. This power can unite diaspora communities for positive change, but it can also mislead millions with devastating efficiency.”
The panel presented compelling evidence of a direct causal link between online rhetoric and physical violence. In Sudan, Abdelgadir documented how systematic sexualized harassment campaigns online have “paved the way for physical sexual violence” against women activists. Similarly, the digital labeling of individuals as “traitor” or “spy” has directly led to targeted attacks and extrajudicial killings.
Leek described how graphic, unverified footage of ethnic violence circulating on WhatsApp has triggered retaliatory attacks and unrest in South Sudan’s refugee camps, creating cycles of violence that feed on digital provocation. Honore emphasized the particular danger of rumors in information-scarce environments, where there are “no mechanisms to verify claims before they ignite violence.” Malimukono provided a chilling example from Goma, eastern DRC, where online rumors of imminent attacks created city-wide panic before any physical violence occurred. “People barricaded themselves indoors, businesses shuttered,” she recalled. “The digital fear became tangible terror on the streets.”
The forum sounded particular alarm about youth vulnerability in these digital battlegrounds. Honore described how frustrated refugee youth, lacking opportunities and hope, become easy targets for manipulation by political actors. “They’re used as digital foot soldiers,” he lamented, “pushed into advancing agendas that serve powerful interests rather than their own communities.” Leek added that economic hardship and trauma drive many young people into divisive online echo chambers where “rumours become accepted truth through constant repetition.”
Abdelgadir painted a poignant picture of Sudanese youth as a “lost generation” sequentially shaped by revolution, pandemic, political coup, and now brutal war—all while coming of age in a digital environment saturated with manipulation. Malimukono highlighted the impossible position of professional journalists in this landscape, noting that ethical media “struggle to compete with the speed and emotional pull of disinformation designed to go viral.”
The forum concluded with heartfelt, practical appeals to young Africans navigating these treacherous digital waters. Leek urged youth to recognize the real-world weight of their digital choices, while Malimukono encouraged turning social media toward positive ends—learning, skill development, and personal growth. Abdelgadir delivered a powerful ethical framework for sharing content: “Before clicking ‘share,’ ask yourself one critical question: ‘Does this build Sudan or does this burn it?'”
Honore issued a direct challenge to political and community leaders, demanding they stop exploiting young people as pawns in digital conflicts. “Africa’s future cannot be sacrificed to online manipulation,” he insisted. “The digital arena must become a space for construction, not destruction.”