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The panic was real enough. In Bambari, a humanitarian worker had to be evacuated by police after three young men accused him of making their genitals disappear through a handshake. In Bangui, the capital, crowds attacked alleged "penis thieves" until local chiefs intervened. The incidents grew so concerning that the government's spokesman had to publicly deny any confirmed cases of vanishing organs.
Russia's propaganda machine saw an opportunity. As Moscow works to replace French influence in its former African colonies, Russian operatives crafted a bizarre story: French intelligence services were stealing African men's genitals to combat European fertility decline. The Malian news site Bamada.net, known for spreading pro-Russian content, claimed Emmanuel Macron had personally approved a secret program called "Repopulation" that flew stolen organs to "secret bunkers in Versailles."
As Books & Ideas reports, this was classic Russian disinformation targeting two key countries in Russia's new African sphere: Mali, where a 2021 coup brought in pro-Russian leadership, and the Central African Republic, where Russian mercenaries have operated since 2018. The goal? Inflame existing anti-French sentiment to push these nations further into Moscow's orbit.
The operation failed spectacularly. Fact-checkers exposed the fake "expert" behind the story, and Bamada.net retracted it after just ten days. On social media, only 16% of commenters expressed belief, while most responded with skepticism or mockery.
"Even if a rumor can be used to manufacture fake news, it's much more difficult to transform fake news into a rumor," writes Julien Bonhomme in Books & Ideas.
Penis theft panic in Africa reveals Russian propaganda campaign against France
"Your penis disappears after a handshake" — this startling claim spread across the Central African Republic in 2024, causing riots and forcing government denials. But what began as a street-level panic transformed into an international propaganda scheme when pro-Russian media blamed France for orchestrating supernatural genital theft.The panic was real enough. In Bambari, a humanitarian worker had to be evacuated by police after three young men accused him of making their genitals disappear through a handshake. In Bangui, the capital, crowds attacked alleged "penis thieves" until local chiefs intervened. The incidents grew so concerning that the government's spokesman had to publicly deny any confirmed cases of vanishing organs.
Russia's propaganda machine saw an opportunity. As Moscow works to replace French influence in its former African colonies, Russian operatives crafted a bizarre story: French intelligence services were stealing African men's genitals to combat European fertility decline. The Malian news site Bamada.net, known for spreading pro-Russian content, claimed Emmanuel Macron had personally approved a secret program called "Repopulation" that flew stolen organs to "secret bunkers in Versailles."
As Books & Ideas reports, this was classic Russian disinformation targeting two key countries in Russia's new African sphere: Mali, where a 2021 coup brought in pro-Russian leadership, and the Central African Republic, where Russian mercenaries have operated since 2018. The goal? Inflame existing anti-French sentiment to push these nations further into Moscow's orbit.
The operation failed spectacularly. Fact-checkers exposed the fake "expert" behind the story, and Bamada.net retracted it after just ten days. On social media, only 16% of commenters expressed belief, while most responded with skepticism or mockery.
"Even if a rumor can be used to manufacture fake news, it's much more difficult to transform fake news into a rumor," writes Julien Bonhomme in Books & Ideas.
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