Released on October 23, 2026, the assessment highlights that the threat draws on social fractures, political distrust, and geopolitical rivalries, ultimately affecting citizen trust and the ability to distinguish facts from narratives designed to sway perceptions.
Global Threat Dynamics Across the Sahel and Europe
The joint assessment outlines how information manipulation exploits distinct regional vulnerabilities depending on local geopolitical conditions. In the Sahel region, deteriorating security, political transitions, sovereignist or populist discourses, and power and influence strategies provide fertile ground for manipulation operations. Meanwhile, in Europe, these operations exploit social anxieties, tensions surrounding immigration, and distrust toward national and European institutions. Despite differing manifestations, these dynamics share a common logic: informational operations derive their strength from pre-existing grievances or imaginaries, which they amplify and redirect to serve political or geopolitical interests.
Repressive Responses Risk Weakening Freedoms
The report emphasizes that the issue extends beyond the mere circulation of false information, as influence depends on local relays, mobilized vulnerabilities, and credibility among populations. Consequently, exclusively repressive responses risk missing their target or weakening the freedoms they aim to defend. Combating information manipulation requires strengthening prevention capacities without unduly restricting pluralism in public debate.
Recommendations for Euro-African Cooperation
To address these shared challenges, the report advocates for closer cooperation between Europe and Africa, anchored in information sharing, the reinforcement of monitoring and alert mechanisms, coordination with digital platforms, and support for independent media. Media literacy, fact-checking, and the protection of fundamental freedoms are identified as essential levers, alongside the consolidation of institutions and civil society to establish informational resilience as a pillar of democratic resilience.
