Kenya vs South Africa: X wars amuse continent as hilarious memes take over internet

Kenya and South Africa have gone head-to-head online, trading savage memes that have left the rest of the continent in stitches.

The online banter, popularly dubbed an "X war," or "Twar," took over timelines as users from both countries poked fun at each other, with hours of back-and-forth jabs before the storm eventually settled.

While no clear winner emerged, Kenyans were widely praised for their sharp, biting memes aimed at South Africa, cementing a reputation they've built over more than a decade online.

Kenya has never been one to back down from an online scuffle, and this latest exchange is simply the newest chapter in a long tradition.

Kenyans on Twitter, popularly known as KOT, first built this reputation back in 2015, when CNN aired a report describing Kenya as a "hotbed of terror" ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to the country.

KOT responded with the hashtag #SomeoneTellCNN, flooding the platform with criticism, sarcasm and viral memes directed at the network.

The pressure didn't stop there. Kenya's interior minister publicly demanded an apology, and the backlash grew so intense that CNN's global executive vice president, Tony Maddox, travelled to Kenya in person to issue a formal apology to then President Uhuru Kenyatta, acknowledging the report was "ill-fitting" and should never have aired.

It remains one of the clearest examples of KOT forcing a global media institution into a public climbdown, entirely through online pressure.

South Africa, too, is no stranger to KOT's wrath. Kenyans and South Africans previously clashed online in 2015, after South Africa's then Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula suggested Kenyan athletes should be sent to the Olympics "to drown in the pool," a remark that triggered a lengthy and brutal meme war between the two nations.

Nigeria has also found itself on the receiving end more than once. One of the most memorable clashes broke out after claims emerged that Harambee Stars players had been mistreated during a visit to Nigeria for a World Cup qualifier, sparking the hashtag #SomeoneTellNigeria and a meme battle that reportedly stretched on for roughly sixty hours.

Uganda hasn't escaped either. KOT once took aim at Uganda's leadership under the hashtag #SomeoneTellUganda, prompting a smaller Ugandan response under #SomeoneTellKenya, though observers noted Kenyans dominated the exchange both in volume and ferocity.

Even Zimbabwe and Botswana have been pulled into Kenya's online crosshairs over the years, with KOT launching hashtags like #SomeoneTellBotswana during past diplomatic spats.