Type of Legislation and Specific Law or Section Scope of Law Enforcement Nigeria (West Africa) Disinformation: Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 Criminal Code Act, 1990 Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulation and Other Related Matters Bill, 2019 Section 24(b) of the Cybercrimes Act makes it a criminal offense to knowingly or intentionally publish a message online, or to cause such a message to be sent, when the individual knows the message “to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another.” Section 59 of the Criminal Code makes it a criminal offense to publish or reproduce “any statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, knowing or having reason to believe that such statement, rumour or report is false.” Clause 3 of the proposed bill made it a criminal offense to transmit a statement when knowing or having reason to believe that it is “a false statement of fact” and that the transmission is likely to be prejudicial to national security, public health, public safety, public tranquility, public finance, or international relations, or to influence the outcome of an election, incite hatred, or diminish public confidence in any public function, business, property, or other economic interests. It similarly prohibited other ���online contents and activities and malicious falsehoods” capable of causing harm to individual users or minors, or threatening the way of life in Nigeria, either by undermining national security or by reducing trust and undermining shared rights, responsibilities, and opportunities to foster unity and integration. Violation of Section 24(b) of the Cybercrimes Act may result in a fine of not more than 7 million naira or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both. Violation of Section 59 of the Criminal Code may result in a fine of not more than 7 million naira or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both. Clause 3 of the proposed bill provided that an individual convicted of transmission of a false statement of fact would be fined up to 300,000 naira and/or imprisoned for a term not exceeding three years. In any other case, the penalty was a fine of up to 10 million naira. Rwanda (East Africa) Disinformation: Law No. 68/2018 of August 30, 2018 Article 194 criminalizes the spreading of false information or harmful propaganda with the intent to cause public disaffection towards the government of Rwanda, or where such information or propaganda is likely or calculated to cause public disaffection towards or a hostile international environment for the government of Rwanda. Article 221 criminalizes the intentional spreading of false allegations in public that directly or indirectly discredit the value of the national currency or negotiable instruments. Cybercrime: Law No. 60/2018 of August 22, 2018 Article 39 prohibits individuals from knowingly publishing, via a computer, rumors that may incite fear, insurrection, or violence amongst the population, or that may make a person lose their credibility. Violation of Article 194 may result in seven to ten years in prison during peacetime and life imprisonment during wartime. Violation of Article 221 may result in imprisonment of between one and two years, and a fine of between 1 million and 3 million Rwandan francs. Violation will result in imprisonment for three to five years and a fine of between 1 million and 3 million Rwandan francs. Senegal (West Africa) Misinformation: The Penal Code, 1965 Article 255 of the Penal Code criminalizes the publication, dissemination, disclosure, or reproduction of false news (nouvelles fausses) when it causes or is likely to cause disobedience in terms of the country’s laws, damage to the morale of the population, or discrediting of public institutions. Violation may result in a fine of 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs and between one and three years’ imprisonment. Seychelles (southern Africa) Misinformation: The Penal Code, Chapter 158 Section 62 criminalizes the publication of false statements, rumors, and reports where they are likely to cause fear and alarm amongst the public or to disturb the public peace, and when the person who makes the statement knows or has reason to believe that it is false. I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH Violation may result in imprisonment for three years. Sub -Saharan Africa – 1 83