Fake AI videos of R. Kelly, pope spread cult of Burkina junta chief

R. Kelly turns to exit during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building, in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Abidjan, Ivory Coast -- 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.

Beyonce and Justin Bieber are among the other celebrities to have their faces and voices altered through artificial intelligence to shower praise on Traore.

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, 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 legitimizing 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 “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.