COLLECTIVE COUNTERMEASURES IN CYBERSPACE: THE ROLE OF THE AFRICAN UNION IN ADDRESSING STATE-SPONSORED CYBER ATTACKS IN AFRICA

Technological advancement in the 21st century brings numerous challenges and opportunities.
Critical digital infrastructures can suffer a cyberattack with a click of a computer button, leading
to harmful physical consequences. Some of these cyberattacks are conducted by cybercriminals,
cyber terrorists and other actors, but the majority of the attacks are state-sponsored attacks, usually
for political reasons. When a state-sponsored cyberattack strikes and infringes on the victim state's
sovereignty, the victim state has options available under international law to respond. Taking
countermeasures is one recognised response to such internationally wrongful conduct. However,
since African states still struggle to keep pace with the constant technological advancement, this
paper examines the possibility of other African states collaborating with the victim state in taking
appropriate countermeasures through the African Union Organization. Generally, international law
does not permit such collective countermeasures. However, state practice and evidence from
regional organisations like the European Union indicate that the African Union can take measures
to protect its member states equally. This paper examines the legality of such collective
countermeasures and recommends a suitable cyber response framework for the African Union,
drawing from the European Union Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox.

21世纪科技的发展带来了诸多挑战与机遇。关键数字基础设施可能遭受网络攻击，只需轻点电脑按钮即可导致严重的物理后果。部分网络攻击由网络犯罪分子、网络恐怖分子和其他行为者实施，但其中大部分攻击为受国家赞助的攻击，通常出于政治原因。当国家赞助的网络攻击发生并侵犯受害国的国家主权时，受害国根据国际法有可用的应对手段。采取反制措施是应对此类国际不当行为的公认回应。然而，鉴于非洲国家仍在努力跟上不断的技术进步，本文探讨了其他非洲国家通过非洲联盟组织与受害国合作采取适当反制措施的可能性。一般而言，国际法不允许此类集体反制措施。然而，国家实践以及欧盟等区域组织的证据表明，非洲联盟可以采取措施平等保护其成员国。本文探讨了此类集体反制措施的法律性，并借鉴欧盟网络外交工具箱，为非洲联盟推荐了一个合适的网络响应框架。