On Ideologies, Crime Networks and Terrorism Alliances
also ft Starlink’s African Market Obsession
CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.
Today’s newsletter is a deep dive into how crime networks may be connected to terrorist agendas while they easily slip away from the focus of many African government authorities. We also explored how Starlink has fared since its entrance to the African market.
— Adebola.
HIGHLIGHTS
On Ideologies, Crime Networks and Terrorism Alliances
Black Axe, an organized criminal syndicate operating in Nigeria with roots in other neighboring countries such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and beyond the African continent has been in the spotlight for transborder cybercrime, human trafficking, and killing sprees since the 2010s. Originally, the group was called the Neo-Black Movement of Africa and started as a student confraternity for Pan-African representation at the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1977 until its agenda was compromised and began to be recognized for gross misconduct.
In Nigeria, while there is still a controversy surrounding Black Axe’s connection with NBM which allegedly broke away from the group, the criminal syndicate and its factions are collectively discredited for their activities and have been in a “love affair” with France-based International Criminal Police Organization, (Interpol).
The 2023 Africa Organised Crime Index by Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organised Crime (ENACT Africa) notes that East Africa is the region with the highest crime followed by West Africa. In another data by ENACT Africa, 37% of African countries deal with severe criminal cases and this implicates around 61% of the continent’s population.
While African countries battle significantly with terrorism and divert more local attention to preventing its spread, many organized crime networks like Black Axe undertake a chain of activities similar to terrorist organizations posing significant concerns for global security and stability.
Starlink’s African Market Obsession
Starlink, the internet broadband service company owned by Elon Musk, the founder of Space X permeated the African market in January 2023 in Nigeria. One year after its first launch, the satellite internet company has launched in at least 11 more African countries. Serving as a major competitor to existing local internet service providers, Starlink promises to bridge areas with limited or no terrestrial internet coverage.
An estimated 23% of Africans living in rural zones on the continent have limited access to the internet, a market with vast potential for Starlink however, remains underserved. In Nigeria, the average consumer earns $42 on a monthly minimum wage, but users have to pay $8 more per month for a standard subscription. In new entrants such as Ghana, Starlink offers the standard subscription package for $47 but the average buyer in the former country will give up $17 while consumers in Botswana can afford to purchase the service twice, relative to their minimum wage.
Despite this, Starlink is currently “oversubscribed” whereas, this is only possible in urban areas where the need for reliable internet services is in heavy demand. Competitors have had to lower their prices to attract more customers, yet, Starlink is relentlessly fluctuating its selling price in different countries.
ICYMI: Starlink’s Regulatory Struggles
However, it is not all easy for the company as it undergoes regulations challenges and is strangely entangled with local companies. In some countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon Burkina Faso, and DR Congo, Starlink has been restricted owing to its lack of compliance and is used illegally as a result. In a similar drive, before its eventual launch in Ghana, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, the company halted operations in these countries earlier in the year stating that its customers can only access its services in authorized locations.
FEATURES
This report highlights how false information contributed to the escalation of conflicts in Kaduna, Nigeria.
Non-delivery and gift cards are among the seven ways article lists to watch for common ‘Black Friday’ scams.
HEADLINES
Zimbabwe To Require Licenses for Whatsapp Group Admins - BW Tech Zone
Starlink Suspends Nairobi Subscriptions Amid Network Capacity Limitations - We Are Tech Africa
LRA Gets 50 Starlink Satellite Terminals To Power Revenue Collection Nationwide - Liberian Observer
Algerian government launches parliament data center - Data Center Dynamics
South African Cloud Provider Sets Sights on Global Expansion - IT News Africa
Cyber Defense Africa Seeks Contractor to Build its Headquarters - Togo First
Ivory Coast reels from surge of homophobic attacks fuelled by online influencers - The Week
Nigerian On FBI Cyber’s Most Wanted List Sentenced To Prison Over $6Million Fraud Against 70 US-Based Businesses - Sahara Reporters
ACROSS THE WORLD
The Wayback Machine shakes off weeks of disruption with Save Page Now restoration
MacOS under attack by crypto thieves: malicious app disguises itself as PDF
Ukraine accuses Google of revealing locations of its military systems
US regulators reject amended interconnect agreement for Amazon data center
Cyber Threats Increase as Russia, China Train New Criminals
Cyber Attack Warning As Hackers Use AI And Gmail In New Campaign
Telegram new content surveillance policy and Cyber Attack on South Korea Defense
Meta is reportedly developing a new AI-driven search engine
OPPORTUNITIES
GFCE Africa Regional Meeting 2024 | November 20, 2024 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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