Why 'pan-Africanist' influencers and Ibrahim Traoré fans dey push fake claim about coup

BBC News

12-07-2025

Mafalda Marchioro wake up to messages from friends wey dey stay abroad dey ask am weda she dey safe for Abidjan wey be di biggest city for Ivory Coast.
Social media bin dey full of posts wey claim say coup dey go on. Dramatic video comot wey show sojas dey waka for road comot platforms as AI generated and presenter led reports bin get millions of views for YouTube.
Di management consultant tell BBC say, "I bin really worry, really fear, I bin tink say sometin dey happened."
But di claims around 19 May na lie.
Dem be di most recent example of lie-lie rumours wey dey spread about coups for West Africa, wey dey raisee tensions for region wey recently don see plenti military takeovers.
Ivory Coast wey be one of di few French speaking kontris wey still be paddi wit di West, go hold presidential elections later dis year.
Sabi pipo believe say e fit tirn target for dis kain disinformation wit tori to attack di electoral process.
Dis na bicos di Ivorian president Alassane Ouatrra wan run for fourth term in office and e dey seen as pro-Western - and im critics accuse am say e dey jor--jor wit kontris wey dey exploit di continent.
Ivory Coast Minister of communications Amadou Coulibaly tell BBC say dem don trace di origin of di fake informate go "neighbouring kontris" but im no add any oda informate.
Di rumour be like say e comot from kasal wit Burkina Faso and dey promoted by growing wave of self styled pan-Africanist influencers.
Dem reject ties wit di West, dey often support Russia and generate tok-tok across di continent to reach kontris like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Di influencers don also promote pipo like Burkina Faso military leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré wey seize power for coup for 2022.
Traoré dey show imself as pan-Africanist and get plenti genuine support from young pipo across di continent who dey see am as leader wey dey stand up to di West.
Alex Vines, wey be di director of di Africa Programme at Chatham House think tank, tok say di influencers dey try to sow doubt on top di exsisting political leadership by say dem spreaf or ginger coup rumours to shift public confidence for di current institutions.
E tell BBC say dem dey "find beta market of readers wey wan see more assertive African leaders wey dey developmental and dey bring peace and prosperity".
Even though analysts dey suggest say dis Ivory Coast rumours resemble one Russian sponsored campaign, proof no dey say Russia get hand inside.
Di kontri don dey linked to influence operations for French-speaking West African kontris bifor. According to di US Department of Defense Africa Center for Strategic Studies, di disinformation networks wey dey connected to di Russian Wagner Group bin try to spark rumours of coup for Niger for 2023.
No proof dey say di Burkinabé authorities bin get hand inside di Ivory Coast coup rumours but pipo wey dey live for dia no spread am.
Di relationship between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast spoil well-well ova one year ago wen Traoré accuse im neighbour say dem dey tolerate militant groups for di territory and dey house who dem call "destabilizers" and dissidents wey dey openly insult im junta.
Den dis April, im security minister blame plotters wey dey stay Ivory Coast say dem dey plan to overthrow Traoré, dis accuse bin spread well-well online.
Di BBC Global Disinformation Unite analyse mentions of di fake Ivorian coup reports for TikTok, Facebook, X and YouTube and di earlies popular post wey we find na from 19 May, wey one pro-goment activist for Burkina Faso, Harouna Sawadogo wey dey make content for im 200,000 TikTok followers about almost only Capt Traoré.
E bin post selfie video for French and Mooré wey be local language say sojas for Ivory Coast need rise up to run coup and encourage pipo to share im post.
One hour later, e post video wey show picture of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara on top video of of rapid gunfre wit di caption wey tok sat coup dey happun even though di video clip comot from recent India-Pakistan tensions ova Kashmir.
Di next day, social media users outside di Francophone West Africa chop di misinformation and push am give English speaking audience for Nigeria, Kenya nad South Africa wey encourage oda social media users to do di same.
Wen di BBC message oga sawadogo weeks later wit di Facebook page wey dey post im live videos, to ask wia e for get im information, e no tok any details but tok say e "pray to God say Alassane [Ouattara] dey brought down by coup d'etat."
Anoda pesin wey carry di rumour post am for English, na Turkish born South African Mehmet Vefa Dag wey dey run di Truth and Solidarity Movement wey be small political organisation for South Africa.
E post plenti times for different platforms dey celebrate wetin im call "internal coup".
In fact oga Dag wey dem don drag for offensive and false comments against Jews and LGBTQ+ pipo, bin also call for coup for Ivory Coast on X for 11 May.
Wen BBC contact am for 3 JUne, wen e bin clear say no coup bin happun, e insist say e bin happun.
E tok say, "we dey very proud of whoeva run di coup comot Ouattara. E bin sell im soul to imperialists and wan destroy Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger."
E add say, "as pan-Africanists we no go eva give dem chance again. We go fight for our kontri. Dis na our continent".
Di most popular YouTube videos about di alleged kasala for Ivory Coast wey bin dey viewed millions of times, bin dey shared by channels wey position demselves as dedicated to pan-Africanism or tok-tok about Burkina Faso junta leafer.
According to Effiong Udo, wey be associate professor for Nigeria University of Uyo and president of di Pan-African Dialouge Institute, sone "opportunistic influencers" dey romantisize military goments dey pretend say na pan-Africanism wey be movement to promote unity and freedom for di continent. Dem dey do like dat, according to di prof to gain popularity and make moeny from dia content.
But e tell BBC say dis kain content na di kain tin wey young pipo wey politics don tay, de like. E add say, " I fit understand dia ginger".
Kenyan academic Karuti Kanyinga gree say dat kain social media content dey ginger desire for accountable leaders wey fit change Africa, wey no dey waste resources and dey try to comot pipo from poverty.
Di research professor of development studies for di University of Nairobi Insitiote for Development Studies tell BBC say, "but di pipo wey dey try give misinformation and disinformation about Traoré for Burkina Faso and coup ofr Ivory Coast no be agents of pan-Africanism".
Doubt no dey say Traoré get fans and for content creators na im be di tori of di moment, anytin about am and im political worldview dey do well online.
Kenyan YouTuber Godfrey Otieno wey dey produce content on trending news sat e bin nack dis winning formula months ago wen e bin post video wey report on di fake news say Capt Traoré best friend shoot am.
E tell di BBC say "e really trend" and since dat time im content na all about di Burkinabé leader.
E be one of di pipo wey repeat di fake tori about Ivory Coast for May and im video get ova 200,000 viwes. E later tok sorry say e get am wrong.
E admit say e dey make money from some of im content but e add say e no dey monetize all im posts and unlike some pipo wey dey call demselves "pan-African influencers", no be only money dey motivate am.
E tok say, "dia be pipo for di space wey dey use misinformation and disinformation to take grow dia reach and do engangement farming."
Pipo really get interest for dis content and comments for di fake coup videos na often positive, wey fit show say pipo for di continent wan chanfe.
But to call make dem comot Ivory Coast goment cause real panic for di pipo wey dey live dia and all of dat dey lead to increase fear as di West African kontri dey ready demselves for dia elections for October.
Additional reporting by di BBC Nicolas Négoce