Why ‘pan-Africanist’ influencers pushed the rumours

In May, Mavalda Marsioro woke up to messages from friends who live abroad asking whether she was safe in Abidjan, the largest city in Ivory Coast.

Social media was full of functions claiming a coup. Soldiers’ exciting footage on the platforms flooded by water, while reports created from artificial intelligence led by showers were gathering millions of views on YouTube.

“I was really worried, and I was really worried, I thought something had happened.”

But the claims that participated in about 19 May were wrong.

It is the latest example of the spread of incorrect rumors about the coups in West Africa, which increases tensions in an area that has witnessed many military acquisitions in recent years.

Ivory Coast, one of the few French -speaking countries, is to be compatible with the West, later this year.

Experts believe that it can be an increasing target of this type of misleading information with the narration that attacks the electoral process.

This is because Ivorian President Al -Asran Wattara is about to seek a fourth state, who is seen as a supporter of profits – and his critics accuse him of compatible with countries that exploit the continent.

The Minister of Communications on Ivory Coast, Amadou Coulibaly, BBC, told the origin of fake information to the “neighboring countries”, but they did not specify more.

It seems that rumors have grown from the rift with Burkina Faso and were promoted by an increasing wave of African influencers in general.

They reject relations with the West, often express his support for Russia and create talks throughout the continent – to reach countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

The influencers also promote figures such as the military leader in Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who seized power in a coup in 2022.

Traoré depicts himself as an African world and has a lot of real support from young people throughout the continent, who see him as a leader standing in the West.

Alex Fines, director of the Africa program in Chatham House, says the influencers are trying to sow suspicion of the current political leadership by spreading or amplifying the coup rumors, to erode the public’s confidence in the current institutions.

“They find” a thirsty market for readers who want to see more firm African leaders, who grow and get peace and prosperity. “

While analysts suggest that Ivory Coast rumors have similar features of a Russian hospital sponsored, there is no evidence of Russia’s involvement.

The country has been linked to the influence of operations in French -speaking West African countries in the past. According to The Center for Strategic Studies of the US Department of Defense The misleading information networks connected to the Russian Wagner Group attempted to raise rumors of a coup in Niger in 2023.

There is also no evidence that the Burkinabe authorities participated in the rumors of the Ivory Coast coup, but people at their headquarters there exaggerated the claims.

Relations between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have been seriously strained for more than a year, when Traori accused his neighbor of tolerance with armed groups on its territory and harboring “destabilization” and opponents who were publicly insulting.

Then in April, his Minister of Security Blame for conspirators in Ivory Coast To plan to overthrow Traoré – an accusation that has been largely amplified online.

BBC’s global misinformation unit analyzed the signals of the fake Ivorian coup reports on Tiktok, Facebook, X and YouTube- and the oldest popular publication that we found on May 19 by Harouna Sawadogo, a pro-government activist in Burkina Faso who is satisfied with 200,000 Tiktok museums almost in investment for the street.

He had published a selfie in French and Mooré, a local language, saying that the Ivory Coast soldiers should rise to implement a coup and encourage people to share his position.

An hour later, a video clip of the Ivorian and Etara President, Patara, on the rapid shooting shots with the comment that was announced that a coup is underway – although the clip was actually from the recent tensions in India Pakistan on Kashmir.

The next day, social media users outside West Africa turned against wrong information and pushed it to an English -speaking audience in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, encouraging other social media users to follow.

When BBC sent the message of Mr. Sadogo a few weeks later, via the Facebook page, which posted his direct videos, to ask from the place where he had received his information, he did not provide any details, but he answered that he was “praying to God Alasan [Ouattara] It is dropped by a coup. “

The last of the rumors, published in English, was South Africa born in South Africa, which runs the movement of truth and solidarity-a small political organization in South Africa.

It has been published several times on various platforms to celebrate what he called “an internal coup”.

In fact, Mr. Daj, who was criticized in the past for offensive comments and sermon against Jews and LGBTQ+ people, has already called for a coup on Ivory Coast in X on May 11.

When contacting him by the BBC on June 3, when he was clearly there was no coup, he insisted that it had happened.

“We are very proud of everyone who made this coup to remove Watara. He sold his soul to the imperialists and wanted to destroy Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger,” he said.

“In our capacity, we will not give them an opportunity again. We will fight for our country. This is our continent.”

YouTube’s most popular videos were shared about the alleged turmoil in Ivory Coast, which were seen millions of times, by channels that are often dedicated to the African public or discussions about the leader of the House Council in Burkina Faso.

According to Effiong UDO, Associate Professor at UYO University at Nigeria and head of the African Dialogue Institute, some of the “opportunistic influencers” are romantic military governments under the guise of the whole of Africa-a movement to enhance unity and liberation on the continent-to gain popularity and gain their contents.

But the BBC told that this type of content has been disappointed by the youth, adding: “I can understand their enthusiasm.”

Academic Kenyan Karauti Kyneeenja agrees that the social media content feeds on the desire of responsible leaders who can change Africa, does not offend resources and try to lift people from poverty.

“But people who are trying to provide misleading information and mislead information about Traore in Burkina Faso, or about a coup in Ivory Coast, are not from the African agents.”

There is no doubt that Traoré has many fans and for the content of the content, it is the story of the moment – anything associated with it and its political organizer on the Internet very well.

Kenyan Yutber Godfrey Ottiano, who produces content on bold news, said he had found this winning formula several months ago when he posted a video reporting the wrong claim that Captain Traore was called his best friend.

“This is really heading,” he told the BBC – Since then, his content has been around Burkinabi’s leader, “This is really heading,” said BBC – Since then, his content has been around Burkinabi’s leader.

It was one of those who repeated an unintended information about Ivory Coast in May, and the video got more than 200,000 views. He later apologized and said he made a mistake.

He admits that he earns money from some of his content, but he adds that he does not heavy from all his posts, and unlike some people who suffer from “influencers of Africa”, his motives are not purely financial.

“There are people in space who use wrong and misleading information to develop their arrival, and for participating cultivation,” he said.

There is a real interest in this content and the comments were under fake videos often positive, and it may reflect an appetite for change in the continent.

But the call to remove the Ivory Coast government has caused real concern for those who live in the intersection – all of this contributes to increasing tensions as West Africa is preparing to vote in October.

Additional reports by Nicholas Nigor from BBC