AI-generated deepfakes and coordinated disinformation amplify Burkina Faso junta leader's image across Africa
Since April 2025, AI-generated deepfake videos featuring celebrities have flooded African social media platforms to glorify Burkina Faso's junta leader Ibrahim Traoré as a pan-African hero opposing Western imperialism. Analysts report coordinated networks of accounts with identical messaging, suggesting a deliberate disinformation campaign involving Russian state media, with Code for Africa continuing to investigate the operation.
What happened
Since late April 2025, hundreds of AI-generated deepfake videos have flooded social media platforms across sub-Saharan Africa, portraying Burkina Faso's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré as a pan-African hero. The deepfakes, often featuring global celebrities such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Selena Gomez alongside Traoré, depict him resisting Western imperialism and aligning with Russia.
The campaign reached audiences in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond, with influencers amplifying Traoré's profile using identical messaging across coordinated networks. Code for Africa's analysis found that a network of 165 Facebook accounts used identical messaging after a US Africa Command leader criticised Traoré in April 2025, generating false claims that Vladimir Putin deployed special forces to protect Traoré, accumulating over 10.9 million views in 10 days.
Reported impact
The campaign exploited frustration with local governments and their Western allies, with analysts warning that the surge in AI-generated content suggests coordinated disinformation rather than organic support. Russian state media played a role in boosting Traoré's image and amplifying pro-Traoré propaganda.
Index analysis
Code for Africa identified that the increase in AI-generated content used to fuel pro-Traoré narratives suggests the campaign is not organic. The amplification accelerated after the 2023 Russia-Africa summit, where Traoré aligned more closely with Moscow, and escalated again following a US senate hearing in April 2025.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.