FACT-CHECK: Did Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traoré supply humanitarian aid to 7 African countries?

Claim: Burkina Faso junta-led government, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has supplied humanitarian aid to 7 “struggling” African countries.

Verdict: Misleading.

Full Text:
On April 10, a Facebook page claimed Burkinabe president Traoré launched a “pan-African humanitarian mission… to support seven struggling African countries”. 37-year-old Traoré took over the country in a successful coup in September 2022 after the ouster of President Paul-Henri Damiba.

In the curated 2-minutes, 48-second video clip, a newscaster, images of ports with trucks loaded with goods were on display, regularly switching with images of captain Traoré.

It was claimed that the flag-off ceremony took place at Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
It was also claimed that the African countries who are bat eneficiaries of the aid are; Niger, Mali, Chad, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Central African Republic, South Sudan.

Led by military heads, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have formed the Alliance of Sahel States as an alternative to the Economic Community of West African States. Some of the African countries reportedly getting the aid are battling series of issues, including political crisis, etc.

According to the video, Traoré said: “Each country receives truckloads of food, clean water system, medical kits, and school supplies, all funded and organised by the Burkina Faso government.”

It was further claimed that Western media and the U.S. president Donald Trump were not pleased with the development.

“If America can help us, surely we can help each other. Africa must carry Africa now, not the West,” Traoré reportedly said.

The voice gives further details: “Trump reportedly furies behind closed doors. Inside sources say former U.S. president Donald Trump was caught off guard, calling an emergency meeting with his allies. One source quote saying ‘How can they replace America? This is unacceptable.”

“Western media have ignored the story but Africa media are flooded with images of children with food, mothers hugging aid workers and flags of Burkina Faso waving with pride.”
The Burkinabe president reportedly concluded his address thus: “Today it is food. Tomorrow it will be power, technology, and jobs. Africa is rising without…”.

The viral video has since garnered 4.8k likes, and shared by 2.2k Facebook users, with 500 dropping, some emotional, comments.

The Facebook account itself has 83 thousand followers.

Verification:

Ripples Nigeria notes that the aid programme reportedly by the Burkina Faso government is supposedly a replacement of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which the incumbent Trump-led administration closed down upon assuming office in Jan. 2025.

USAID had been involved in humanitarian services since the early 1960s across 60 countries on behalf of the U.S. government.

Ripples Nigeria observes that the video is labeled as “AI Info”, which raises concerns on the veracity of the information shared in it.

While it was claimed that African media widely covered the event, Ripples Nigeria could not find any news article about a Burkina Faso-led humanitarian mission.

Whereas, reports have it that funds and support have been extended to Burkina Faso amid humanitarian needs in the country.

Although Captain Traoré reportedly delivered a speech at the flag off ceremony, Ripples Nigeria reports that the recent event the military head was in attendance was a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace.
At the event, he critcised the notion that democracy ushers in development. “It is impossible to name a country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the result,” Traoré was quoted.

Conclusion:

There is no evidence Burkina Faso government is spearheading pan-African humanitarian mission. The AI-curated video is misleading.

Ripples Nigeria reports that AI videos have been increasingly curated to spread disinformation.

By: Quadri Yahya

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