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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · 10d

Excited to see our investigative piece featured in Expo coming issue. “Nya Dagbladets nya kläder: Så får den svenska högerextrema sajten internationell spridning”

Reposted by Justin Yarga

The Barents Observer @thebarentsobserver.com · Jun 13

Human rights activist Oleg Orlov was arrested after he called Russia a totalitarian and fascist country. In interview to Barents Observer, he says he fears Russia is heading towards a return to death penalty. And he urges European countries to support Ukraine in the war

“Somewhere deep in his mind, comrade Putin compares himself to Stalin”

Human rights activist Oleg Orlov was arrested after he called Russia a totalitarian and fascist country. He fears that Russia is heading towards the return of the death penalty and urges European offi...

www.thebarentsobserver.com

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · May 9

A great investigative piece by @reuters.com: Thousands of troops, millions of shells – Inside North Korea’s vast operation to help Russia’s war on Ukraine #OSINT

Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Apr 29

Excellent article by Nate Allen from the @AfricaACSS. “Military Drone Proliferation Marks Destabilizing Shift in Africa’s Armed Conflicts” africacenter.org/spotlight/dr...

Military Drone Proliferation Marks Destabilizing Shift in Africa’s Armed Conflicts – Africa Center

A revolution in unmanned drone systems is reshaping the dynamics of Africa’s conflicts, providing militaries tactical advantages but also risks.

africacenter.org

Reposted by Justin Yarga

The Barents Observer @thebarentsobserver.com · Apr 24

Sanctioned shadow fleet oil tanker "Unity" has drifted for a week outside Norway's far northern Varanger Peninsula. "It is not a question of if, but when, an accident will happen along our coast," says Frode Pleym, leader of Greenpeace Norway

“Sooner or later an accident will happen”

A sanctioned shadow fleet oil tanker has drifted for a week outside Norway's far northern Varanger Peninsula. 'It is not a question of if, but when, an accident will happen along our coast,' says Frod...

www.thebarentsobserver.com

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Apr 17

One of the effects of pro-Russian disinformation campaigns is now being felt in Gen AI. Some AI tools have been fed with fake news from these campaigns. www.lemonde.fr/pixels/artic...

Une importante campagne de désinformation russe contre la France a pu « empoisonner » des outils d’IA

L’organisation NewsGuard a dévoilé jeudi l’existence d’une opération de désinformation qui est parvenue, chose rare, à atteindre une importante audience. Son étude montre également que des chatbots ré...

www.lemonde.fr

Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Apr 9

Russia uses stolen identities of dead Africans to spread propaganda, investigation reveals tvpworld.com/85991346/rus...

Russia uses IDs of dead Africans to spread propaganda, investigation finds

Stolen identities were used to write pro-Russian articles in Africa.

tvpworld.com

Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Apr 4

#Burkina Faso. “Since taking power in a 2022 coup, military authorities have systematically cracked down on the media, the political opposition, and peaceful dissent, both outside and inside the country”. www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...

Burkina Faso’s Relentless Crackdown on Dissent, Media

“I rose through the ranks!” joked Maixent Somé, an exiled Burkinabè activist and critic of the country's military junta on X yesterday, after learning that his name appears on a list of wanted terrori...

www.hrw.org

Reposted by Justin Yarga

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Mar 26

In this episode of Backlight, Beatriz and Tessa speak to two reporters from the investigation - @yarga.bsky.social who led on the Sweden story and @jusbraun.bsky.social

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Reposted by Justin Yarga

Le Monde @lemonde.fr · Mar 21

Au Burkina Faso, une enquête ouverte après des appels à « l’extermination » de Peuls

Cette communauté, cible de massacres la semaine dernière à Solenzo, est souvent stigmatisée, accusée de composer le gros des rangs des groupes djihadistes qui endeuillent le Sahel.

www.lemonde.fr

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Reposted by Justin Yarga

Colin Gerard @colingerard.bsky.social · Mar 19

A masterful report by @aljazeera.com on the avatars of Prigozhin’s Project Lakhta, these fake military experts who sign pro-Russian articles for payment in African media. This is the case of Grégoire Dongobada, an avatar that actually uses the photo of a Central African football referee died in 2020

Yarno Ritzen @yarnoritzen.com · Mar 19

REVEALED: Russia's use of non-existing journalists/experts in francophone Africa as part of an influence campaign.

In 'Africa's Ghost Reporters', we reveal a campaign that has impacted over a dozen francophone countries, with more than 200 articles published in local media. 🧵

An image showing the text 'Africa's Ghost Reporters'.

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Reposted by Justin Yarga

Colin Gerard @colingerard.bsky.social · Mar 19

Dongobada was notably used during the case of the fake mass grave in Gossi, Mali, which aimed to blame France for war crimes committed by the Wagner Group.

archive.ph/GTHdp

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Mar 19

Excited to see that this investigation we worked on is release today! It such an indescribable experience and honour to work with @yarnoritzen.com and the team at AJI Unit.

Yarno Ritzen @yarnoritzen.com · Mar 19

REVEALED: Russia's use of non-existing journalists/experts in francophone Africa as part of an influence campaign.

In 'Africa's Ghost Reporters', we reveal a campaign that has impacted over a dozen francophone countries, with more than 200 articles published in local media. 🧵

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Reposted by Justin Yarga

Yarno Ritzen @yarnoritzen.com · Mar 19

Credits where due: this story would not have happened without these people.

Justin Yarga (@yarga.bsky.social) and Hanneke Slob (can't find her) who had a dataset that brought us 90% of the way.

And @philipobaji.bsky.social for his knowledge about everything that Russia does in Africa.

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Reposted by Justin Yarga

Al Jazeera Investigations @ajiunit.com · Mar 17

Standby: 🌍📷
Clue: #GhostReporters
Coming soon

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Mar 16

Burkina Faso: Government-Allied Militias Linked to Massacre
www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...

Burkina Faso: Government-Allied Militias Linked to Massacre

Pro-government militias in Burkina Faso are implicated in video footage circulating on social networks showing the massacre of dozens of civilians in and around the western city of Solenzo on March 10...

www.hrw.org

Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Mar 15

Niger's junta has ordered three Chinese officials working in the oil sector to leave the country www.reuters.com/world/africa...

Niger orders three Chinese oil officials out of country, sources say

Niger's junta has ordered three Chinese officials working in the oil sector to leave the country, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters on Friday, in the latest move by regional military governments to assert greater control over resources.

www.reuters.com

Reposted by Justin Yarga

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Feb 20

🇧🇫Disappearances, expulsion, self-censorship and even conscription are some of the dire threats facing reporters in Burkina Faso.

Patrick Egwu spoke to journalists and experts on how press freedom has declined since the military takeover in 2022.
https://buff.ly/3PH23Z1

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Jan 15

theconversation.com/un-etat-djih...

Un État djihadiste pourrait bientôt voir le jour en Afrique de l’Ouest : voici pourquoi

L’explosion démographique, l’échec de la gouvernance et la pauvreté endémique créent un terrain idéal pour un État djihadiste.

theconversation.com

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Justin Yarga @yarga.bsky.social · Dec 25

#Burkina Faso, a nation that once prided itself on tolerance and peaceful interethnic relations, is now home to one of the deadliest conflicts in West Africa. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/w...