Viral Video Showing Burkina Faso President Announcing Trade Deal With India Is Deepfake

A video circulating on social media purporting to show Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré announcing a USD 14 billion grain deal with India has been identified as a deepfake. The video also features the President criticizing the United States and European nations for exploitation.

Despite the claims made in the video, a search for credible news reports or official press releases related to a Burkina Faso-India trade agreement yielded no results. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India confirmed to ThePrint that the video is false.

Visual analyses of the video revealed several anomalies, including unnatural lip movements, an unusually stiff posture, and inconsistencies in insignia on the President’s cap. AI detection tools, including Hive Moderation and Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector, confirmed that the video and voice content were likely generated by artificial intelligence.

The viral clip claiming the trade deal is entirely fabricated, and no such agreement exists.

• Why it matters:
  • This incident highlights the growing prevalence of misinformation through deepfake technology.
  • Businesses and policymakers may need to develop strategies for identifying and addressing false information that can impact decision-making.
• The latest: The Ministry of External Affairs in India continues to monitor and address misinformation involving deepfake content.