Diplomatic Tool: How Israeli Spyware Helps African Regimes

In an era where wars are fought using unconventional means, weapons are no longer the sole instruments of control and influence. Sophisticated espionage and surveillance systems have become an integral part of the game of international interests.

As part of a well-defined strategy, Israeli cyber companies are working to penetrate the African continent, exploiting security gaps and political vacuums to establish indirect Israeli influence.

Many African governments rely on Israeli espionage technologies to track dissidents and political opponents, which deepens authoritarian tendencies and undermines democracy.

Israeli espionage programs are widespread in Africa. The targeting of human rights activists in Angola, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, and Botswana, as well as opposition figures in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Gabon, and even American diplomats in Uganda, has been documented.

Israeli Influence

Recent years have witnessed a notable rise of Israeli security companies in Africa, particularly in providing security for presidents and officials, especially those accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.

These companies, often run by retired Israeli military personnel, offer security, training, and consulting services in numerous locations across the continent.

In February 2026, a Guardian investigation revealed that Kenyan authorities used advanced Israeli technology from the company Cellebrite to hack the personal phone of activist and potential presidential candidate Boniface Mwangi while he was in detention.

This software enabled the police to completely decrypt the phone, extracting private messages, files, passwords, and financial accounts. This incident represents one of the latest instances of African governments employing Israeli technology to suppress dissent.

This event has once again highlighted the expanding influence of Israeli cybersecurity and military equipment companies on the continent, and the shared objectives between Tel Aviv and African capitals.

The technology exported by Israeli companies to Africa includes sophisticated spyware capable of turning a phone into a complete surveillance device. Among the most prominent are:

1. Pegasus spyware from the NSO Group: It is capable of infiltrating phones without any user interaction, it can steal photos, messages, and passwords, activate the camera and microphone, and track locations.

2. Predator spyware: It is developed by the Intelexa Group—a network of companies led by former Israeli officer Tal Dilian—it provides attackers with complete access to the microphone, camera, and data of the infected phone.

3. Cellebrite spyware: It allows the extraction of all data and files from Android and iPhone devices and is part of the forensic analysis tools market sold to governments worldwide.

Espionage Race

There are numerous cases of espionage uncovered in Africa, including:

In July 2025, Kenyan authorities arrested activist Boniface Mwangi and confiscated his phone.

A technical analysis by Citizen Lab revealed that the police used the Cellebrite spyware to completely decrypt his phone.

An app bearing the Cellebrite signature was found on the phone, through which his private messages, files, financial accounts, and passwords were extracted, in clear violation of the Kenyan Constitution and data protection law.

Last year, Citizen Lab found that spyware was installed on the devices of four Kenyan filmmakers arrested over links to a BBC documentary on security service killings during the 2024 protests.

In February 2026, an investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed that the phone of Angolan journalist and lawyer Teixeira Candido had been compromised by the Predator spyware before the 2027 elections, amid a climate of increasing restrictions on the press.

An unknown individual sent a WhatsApp message posing as a student group. Once Candido clicked on the link, the spyware was installed on his phone, granting the attackers control of his microphone and camera, and access to his contacts, messages, and photos.

Candido described the experience, saying, “I felt like I was naked in the street. I don’t know what information they had about my private life.”

In January 2024, the cybersecurity platform DarkReading revealed that an investigation by Reporters Without Borders had uncovered the Pegasus spyware used to compromise the phones of several Togolese journalists.

The findings revealed that the spyware was used between February and July 2021 to hack the phone of Loic Lawson, publisher of the Flambeau des Democracies newspaper, at least 23 times. Freelance journalist Anani Sossou was subjected to a similar attack in October 2021.

A list of 50,000 leaked numbers from the Pegasus project included the names of three other Togolese journalists.

The report explains that the software, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, allows the operator to extract all data and intercept messages, emails, passwords, and location information without the user's knowledge.

A 2021 Brookings Institution study revealed the widespread use of Pegasus across Africa.

It indicated that the Moroccan and Rwandan governments used the software to spy on dissidents and politicians abroad.

Morocco is believed to have targeted up to 10,000 numbers, while Rwanda used it to monitor approximately 3,500 activists, journalists, politicians, and diplomats, including the daughter of a Rwandan opposition figure living in exile.

These tools are also used to spy on neighboring countries. Rwanda included South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's phone number on its target list, while Morocco placed Algerian and French officials on its surveillance list.

These practices demonstrate how Israeli technology is fueling a regional espionage race and exacerbating authoritarian tendencies in Africa.

Diplomatic Bribery

Israel’s ultimate goal in penetrating the African continent is to break the automatic pro-Palestinian majority in international organizations.

Former Israeli officials and journalists (such as Amitai Ziv of Haaretz) have stated clearly: “When Israel sells cyber technology to an African country, it secures its vote at the United Nations.”

Arms and cyber sales constitute the diplomatic bribe that enabled Israel to obtain observer status at the African Union (before it was later suspended).

“Israel” seeks to normalize its repressive practices globally. When sovereign states use technologies developed to suppress Palestinians, it implicitly legitimizes these technologies and this security model.

The Israeli occupation becomes a laboratory for innovation, while Africa becomes the market.

The cyber sector represents a significant portion of Israel’s high-tech exports ($13 billion in defense exports in 2023, a large part of which was cyber), funds that are essential for sustaining the Israeli military-industrial complex.

In contrast, African countries gain several advantages from relying on Israeli intelligence technology, including:

Israeli technology provides African regimes with the ability to predict and suppress protests before they begin, and to understand the intentions of the opposition.

Western countries theoretically impose human rights conditions on arms sales, while Israel sells without question, making it the ideal partner for these marginalized regimes.

Many African leaders believe that the road to the White House leads through Tel Aviv, so purchasing Israeli technology is seen as a token of friendship that opens doors for the Zionist lobby in Washington to defend these regimes and whitewash their image before Congress.

Observers believe that Israeli technology in Africa is not a tool for development or security in its human sense, but rather an Israeli attempt to replicate the monitoring state model of the West Bank and apply it on a continental scale.