Samenvatting

There are both opportunities and constraints regarding information operations in Africa.The specific context of each African country may differ. However, in general, the concentration of wealth and power in a ruler network in the capital creates opportunities for control-and-command warfare. Factions of socially fragmented militaries regularly use this opportunity to strike at their own ruler. However, the weak material base of many militaries constraints their ability to deploy large forces quickly over long distances elsewhere. The vast, rugged African terraincsometimesis a protectionfor distant adversaries. Various social divisions and struggles for wealth and power create opportunities for psychological warfare in Africa. Linguistic diversity, different frameworks of meaning and the predominance of radio broadcasts and popular discussion often determine the parameters of such warfare. The technical underdevelopment of most African countries means that computer warfare is largely irrelevant at this stage, except in countries like South Africa. Violence during widespread insurgencies in Africa may serve to accumulate wealth, ensure organisational survival and change patterns of personal and political power. While computer warfare may still become more relevant, physical violence and psychological warfare are likely to dominate present conflicts in Africa.