Frelimo needs new trolls

Wagner Group’s election hackers are now surely beyond the pale. But others are available

Good afternoon. Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted publicly for the first time that he founded the Internet Research Agency, a “troll farm” sanctioned in the US for interfering in elections there, and whose related organisations were also involved in supporting Frelimo’s election campaign last time around — as reported by Zitamar News:

Russian think tank publishes illegal pro-Frelimo opinion poll

Afric ran Mozambique election poll, but denies interference in elections

Mozambique remains neutral on the Russia-Ukraine war, but Frelimo will likely be reluctant to turn to Prigozhin again, since his private army, Wagner Group — which was also briefly engaged by the Mozambican government to fight the insurgency in Cabo Delgado — has been designated by the US as “a significant transnational criminal organization”.

Other election interferers are available, however — as Frelimo’s campaign manager, agriculture minister Celso Correia, knows only too well. An international consortium of journalists today published an investigation into ‘Team Jorge’, an Israeli-led company offering to use underhand tactics to swing elections. The investigators posed as clients who wanted to tip the balance in an unnamed African country’s election, and the company’s head, named Tal Hanan, showed off his hacking skills — including that he had access to Celso Correia’s Gmail account and files in Google Drive.

The journalists showed screenshots of this to Correia, who apparently confirmed the account was his — which could be awkward if Team Jorge comes touting for business in Mozambique. In the meantime, Zitamar will remain alert to signs of dark arts in Mozambique’s upcoming elections — and will remember, as should you, to follow cyber security best practices. Here is one of many resources online, courtesy of the UK government.

If you do only one thing, follow the advice on 2-step authentication.

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Agenda:

• Tomorrow: Minister of Defence Cristóvão Chume opens the XIX Military Health Meeting of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (ESM/CPLP), held at the Clube Militar in Maputo city

• Tomorrow: Breakfast on Economics and Business, entitled "Macroeconomic prospects for 2023 and sustainability of Mozambican companies", at the Hotel Melia, Maputo. Organised by ACIS, BVM and Moza Banco.

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The latest from Zitamar News:

Cabo Ligado Weekly: 6-12 February 2023

• Insurgents attack in Montepuez, forcing Gemfields camp to evacuate

• IS-M continues ‘hearts and minds’ strategy by leaving handwritten notes in villages

• President Nyusi visits Cabo Delgado with Swiss president

Also available in Portuguese

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Also in the news:

• Floods and cholera outbreak leave Mozambique on alert

• Timber business continues unabated in Cabo Delgado 

• Mozambican transporters block border with South Africa 

• Law and Mozambican society are mismatched, says ‘hidden debts’ judge 

• Transport contractors withhold fertilisers Beira over lack of payment 

• Roads authority stocks up on temporary metal bridges

Today’s front pages in Maputo. Photo © Faizal Chauque / Zitamar News