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.
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.
Viral campaigns mixing propaganda and AI-generated content have been shared by activists and English-speaking influencers, notably to denounce Langley and glorify Traore.