Rethinking State-Making amid Disinformation and Misinformation in the Central Sahel Region
by Wendyam Hervé Lankoandé
Author: Wendyam Hervé Lankoandé
Source: The African Geopolitical ATLAS 2025: Conflicting information, conflicted realities
Publisher: Stake Books
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63542/aokb2273
Document Type: Book chapter
Publication date: May 5, 2025
Keywords: state-making, disinformation and disinformation, Central Sahel, nation-building, digital propaganda, information disorder and governance
ABSTRACT - Access to high-quality, plural and independent sources of information is essential for democratic and resilient societies. It enables citizen–state collaboration and citizen trust in state institutions and helps build a shared national identity. However, in today’s digital age, the spread of misinformation and disinformation can become a source of sociopolitical and economic disruptions and accelerate what some scholars have termed as the “post-democracy era” (Crouch 2004)[1]. Whether in established or emerging democracies, these phenomena erode public trust in political institutions, exacerbate identity-based fractures, and undermine development initiatives.
State-making—the intertwined processes of state-building and nation-building—is an elite-driven endeavour aimed at institutional consolidation and identity homogenisation within a polity (Balthasar 2015). As well articulated by some scholars, state-building without nation-building is a recipe for disaster (Lemay-Hébert 2009). While misinformation can be defined as false or inaccurate information that is shared unknowingly and is not disseminated with the intention of deceiving the public, disinformation can be defined as false, inaccurate, or misleading information deliberately created, presented and disseminated to harm a person, social group, organisation or country (Lesher et al. 2022).
The Central Sahel region – an area in sub saharan Africa covering Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger –, already grappling with institutional fragility and identity fragmentation, is particularly vulnerable to these dynamics. Since 2021, the Sahel has become a geopolitical battleground where Russia and Western powers compete for influence, often through digital propaganda campaigns (Africa Centre for Strategic Studies 2022). Beyond the information warfare opposing foreign powers in the region, disinformation and misinformation shape state-building processes in the region. While digital technologies (as conveyed and facilitated through connected mobile phone devices) offer opportunities to extend state reach in contexts marked by weak state-society relations, they also risk further eroding public trust in institutions and social cohesion.
[1] In Post-Democracy (Polity, 2004) Colin Crouch argued that behind the façade of strong institutions, democracy in Western societies was being hollowed out. He claimed that the rise of social media has enabled a handful of very rich individuals and institutions to target vast numbers of messages at citizens, giving a false impression of debate that is really stage-managed from a small number of concealed sources..
WENDYAM HERVÉ LANKOANDÉ is a Dakar-based independent political analyst specialising in peace, security, and development within Francophone West Africa. His expertise is grounded in practical experience, including roles as a Risk Consultant at Africa Practice and Control Risks. Notably, he served as the International Crisis Group’s Giustra Fellow for West Africa. His research background includes positions at Clingendael, the Institute for Peace and Security Studies, and Swisspeace. Holding advanced degrees from Sorbonne Nouvelle and Université Paris Sorbonne Nord, Wendyam brings a deep understanding of strategic studies to his analyses of regional conflicts.
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