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To support the humanitarian response in the Sahel region, Insecurity Insight is conducting ongoing social media monitoring to understand perceptions and key concerns around the aid response in Mali, with the aim of contributing to the development of aid agencies’ communication strategies in response to community sentiment.
Summary
From April to June 2024, at least 54 international and Malian aid-related organisations were discussed across Facebook and X in Mali. These individual organisations were mentioned in 368 posts, which reached over 1.5 million social media users and generated over 27,000 engagement responses. International aid-related organisations had a greater visibility on public social media platforms compared to Malian aid organisations.
Overall, the sentiments expressed in these posts about individual organisations tended to be overwhelmingly positive or neutral. Only four posts out of 368 made negative statements about named international organisations, including accusations of financing terrorism in Mali. No posts spreading misinformation, disinformation and hate speech (MDH) targeting Malian aid-related organisations were identified.
Negative sentiment towards the aid sector was more commonly expressed in general terms – without naming individual aid-related organisations. Criticism included accusations of complicity in harmful vaccination campaigns, serving Western interests, perpetuating dependency on foreign aid, and manipulating Malian cattle herders to leave Mali.
Posts containing MDH appear to have mostly been disseminated by users who seemed to hold pro-military and pro-Alliance of Sahel States (Alliance des États du Sahel, or AES) views. During the examined period, these users (mainly male and located in Mali) posted content about the Malian military junta and its leader, Assimi Goita, and wider geopolitical concerns. Among these posts were some that included allegations that aid-related organisations pursued objectives that were described as being against Mali’s interests or those of its people. At least two international influencers with between 50,000 and 200,000 followers also posted similar content when interacting with online communities beyond Mali.
This brief provides insights into the online discourse surrounding aid and humanitarian organisations in Mali. It highlights the importance of social media in shaping public perceptions of aid work to support aid agencies’ communication and risk management strategies.