International News
Fake AI Video Shows R. Kelly Praising Burkina Faso Junta Leader
If you believe the viral videos online, R. Kelly and Pope Leo XIV agree on one thing — that Burkina Faso’s junta chief, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is a fantastic leader.
The images are AI-generated propaganda, part of what experts have called a vast disinformation campaign spreading the “personality cult” of the West African country’s strongman.
Beyoncé and Justin Bieber are among the other celebrities whose faces and voices have been altered through artificial intelligence to shower praise on Traoré.
In one video, attributed to R&B star R. Kelly, the lyrics praise Traore, who seized power in a 2022 coup: “for the love of his people, he risked it all… bullets fly but he don’t fall… he’s fighting for peace in his motherland.”
Kelly is serving a 30-year prison sentence in the United States for crimes including the sex trafficking of minors, yet the song generated by artificial intelligence has been viewed more than two million times since it came out in May.
The images have been widely shared on West African social media.
It follows a wave of coups not only in Burkina Faso but also in Mali, Niger, and Guinea, while the region is further destabilised by jihadist attacks.
“These are influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at extending the personality cult surrounding Captain Traore to Burkina Faso’s English-speaking neighbours,” said an American researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity.
‘Restoring Control’
After seizing power in a coup in September 2022, Traore pledged to quickly restore control in Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by violence from jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Three years later, jihadist attacks have continued, causing thousands more deaths, and have even intensified in recent months.
Several officers accused of attempting to stage a coup have been arrested, and comments attributed to then-head of US Africa Command General Michael Langley, accusing Traore of using the country’s gold reserves for personal protection, sparked anger and protests.
Around that time, a series of videos exalting Traore started mushrooming on social media.
“Information manipulation has become a lever for retaining power and legitimising the junta’s presence,” said a Burkinabe specialist in strategic communication, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
‘Digital Army’
Viral campaigns mixing propaganda and AI-generated content have been shared by activists and English-speaking influencers, notably to denounce Langley and glorify Traore.
While some are riding the wave for their own financial gain, others are working for the junta’s cyber propaganda entity called Rapid Communication Intervention Battalions (BIR-C), the Burkinabe source said.
“They truly operate like a digital army,” the source said, adding it was led by US-based activist Ibrahima Maiga, ruling out any “direct links with foreign Russian influence.”
But the group’s anti-imperialist narrative, “presenting Captain Traore as the one who will save Burkina and Africa from Western neocolonialism… suits Russia, which amplifies it in turn,” the source said.
Russian ‘Connections’
But the American researcher noted that “some reports have established Russian connections in the recent surge of these disinformation operations,” particularly in campaigns targeting Ghana and Nigeria.
“Destabilising the Nigerian government would have significant regional effects,” he warned.
Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji, who specialises in Russian influence operations, agreed, adding that “media in Burkina and Togo have accepted money from agents linked to Russia to relay these campaigns”.
Meanwhile, Burkina’s junta has expelled international press that had been working in the country, while local outlets self-censor in fear of arrest and deployment to the front lines against jihadists — already a fate for some journalists.
While the Burkinabe diaspora has attempted to fight back against the pro-junta narrative, including promoting jihadists’ attack claims, commenting on or sharing posts is considered glorifying terrorism, punishable by one to five years imprisonment.
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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