An analysis of over 10,000 tweets reveals coordinated amplification patterns targeting Francophone African audiences during the Africa Cup of Nations. The data suggests organized campaign infrastructure with distinct temporal and linguistic signatures.
Tweet counts by narrative theme show a classic "burst-and-fade" pattern. The Tribute/Hero and General AFCON narratives dominated the spike, consistent with bot-driven amplification.
Posting concentrated between 10–16 UTC suggests geographic clustering in Francophone West Africa. Secondary peaks at 22–23 UTC may indicate diaspora engagement or scheduled infrastructure.
Language distribution confirms targeting of Francophone audiences. The presence of "undefined" language codes warrants further investigation for potential obfuscation.
While General AFCON content reached the widest audience, the Colonial History narrative showed a disproportionate retweet-to-view ratio—a hallmark of coordinated networks.
Source: Twitter/X API via Academic Research Access | Note: Data collected Jan. 6–12, 2026