DRC: When fake news becomes a tool for digital blackmail

A marginal tweet, a strategic signal

On July 28, 2025 , a tweet from the @BreakingN_RDC account accused, without evidence, Minister of Communication Patrick Muyaya and his Secretary General Malaba Mudjani of allegedly embezzling $2.4 million. There were no sources, no documents, and no verifiable evidence. The tweet didn't garner significant traction, but it illustrates a well-oiled pattern: self-serving disinformation.

A recycled account, a worn-out method

Behind @BreakingN_RDC lies a figure familiar to observers of the Congolese digital world: the former @TshitshiNews, once a fervent supporter of President Tshisekedi , now a virulent opponent. This shift has nothing to do with ideology: it follows a pricing logic. We support, then we attack in the hope of being contacted, paid, or integrated into a circuit.

An illegal practice, an intransigent power

The dissemination of false accusations in order to gain an advantage is legally considered extortion. This is not a minor abuse; it is an offense. The Congolese government has, to date, never yielded to this type of pressure. No payment, no negotiation. Better still, it now has the technical means to identify the perpetrators, even when they operate under pseudonyms.

The shadow of opportunistic networks

This case is not significant for the content of the obviously false message, but for what it reveals: the existence of hybrid networks, halfway between digital blackmail and political manipulation, which exploit disinformation to monetize their influence.

When the authorities fail to respond, these accounts mutate, change targets, and recycle their attacks. This is a dynamic that ZolaView will continue to monitor.