The first page of the internal document “Confederation of Independence” (seemingly dated August 2023), outlining a country-by-country strategy for the coming months (Graphic: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
Among the targets of “The Company” is Tournons la Page, or Let’s Turn the Page, a citizen network active in 16 African countries that promotes democratic transitions of power on the continent. Its Niger coordinator, Maikoul Zodi, has publicly spoken out against the coup. Two days after it unfolded, he issued a statement condemning this “seizure of power by force,” explaining that it was not the solution “for the country’s emergence and development.” Zodi warned “certain corrupt and ill-intentioned partners against any interference in Niger’s internal affairs,” indirectly referring to the Russians.
A TLP-Niger statement condemning the coup in Niger, July 28, 2023 (Graphic: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
Comments by Maikoul Zodi supporting Russian aid in the fight against terrorism, less than a year after the coup, on the media outlet aNiamey (left); an internal “Company” report from August 2024 mentioning a memo on TLP-Niger’s activities (Graphic: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
The Russians identified and wrote briefing notes on “opinion leaders,” while also leveraging the influence of celebrities. In Dakar, in early October 2024, Guinean reggae star Eli Kamano appeared at a conference. A figure of pan-Africanism, popular in West Africa and among the diaspora, he is known for his political activism and supports his country’s accession to the Alliance of Sahel States. He also composed an unofficial anthem for the confederation — “let us awaken, the courageous peoples of the Sahel”; “the AES is the stronghold of African peoples who had no home left” — as well as an ode to the leader of the Burkinabe junta, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
A screenshot of the music video for the AES anthem composed by Eli Kamano (left) and his music video dedicated to Ibrahim Traoré (right) (Credit: Forbidden Stories)
Expenses incurred by “The Company” for organizing a conference in Dakar featuring Elie Kamano as a guest (Graphic: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
Maps appearing in internal “Company” documents, showing the network’s results in the Sahel in 2024 (Graphics: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
On maps created by Russian agents describing their activities country by country, the “organization of a conference of Senegalese pan-African communities on the potential for cooperation with the AES” is listed as one of its major achievements. The same applies to Guinea: “Work aimed at expanding the AES; invitation of young leaders to a forum in Mali.” Internal documents from “The Company” also shed light on the preparations for this summit. “Negotiations were conducted with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to hold a conference of youth organizations. … An ideological framework was defined,” reads a document dated July
Excerpt from a work plan by “The Company” for Mali in 2024 (Graphic: Sofía Álvarez Jurado / Forbidden Stories)
Maksim Grigorievich Kovaliev, a media specialist for “The Company,” at the International Conference of African Youth in Bamako, September 2024 (Credit: Forbidden Stories)
A screenshot of a 2023 strategic plan titled “Africa Project,” featuring a specific section on the Togolese Republic, considered a “promising country to begin operations” (Credit: Forbidden Stories)
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