Thread by @marcowenjones

Thread 1/ For Sudan and Gulf watchers. Below is a brief analysis of a 'Sudanese' sockpuppet network that includes at least 26 accounts. It seems to exist mostly to promote the UAE's role in #Sudan, and occasionally have swipes at the Muslim Brotherhood. #disinformation

2/ The accounts are old Twitter accounts have been bought or hacked. Many are as old as 2009, but only have around 50 tweets or so. They were repurposed in around December 2021, a few weeks prior to the resignation of Sudanese PM Abdalla Handok

3/ Some still have their old names, such as Will Reed 73 (aka Halla Mashael) or Sexy Thickums (aka Manasik Omer).Again, most are pictures of attractive women with good quality banner photos depicting Sudan. This 'influencer' aesthetic is likely to drive engagement #disinformation

4/ The accounts occasionally criticise the Muslim Brotherhood, with the now familiar tropes saying they are the source of terror in the region.

5/ However, their most commonly used words are 'Sudan' and 'the Emirates' (as in the UAE). ِAnd you can see why below, the accounts spend a lot of time re-affirming the good relationship between the UAE, and more importantly, UAE's assistance to Sudan #disinformation #propaganda

6/ Each account has probably tweeted around 50 times since they were repurposed in December. The network was perhaps at least double in size (at least 50). Another tweep @elsadig_atif spotted some of the fake in December and presumably reported them.

https://twitter.com/elsadig_atif/status/1471546017430577157

7/ The network looks similar to others I have tweeted about in the past few days. Similar modus operandi (attractive profile pics, all use web app, hacked accounts), UAE/Egypt/Saudi leaning stance. Anyway, that's it for now, hope you enjoyed! #Sudan #disinformation

8/ Addendum - the accounts involved >