Asia, explained.
Deepfake videos of junta leader Ibrahim Traoré have become infamous (@CapitaineIb226/X)
Digital disciples are spreading false narratives in an effort to exploit anti-Western sentiment across the region.
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How Burkina Faso’s strongman became the Indo-Pacific’s unlikely hero – and other tales of disinformationHow Burkina Faso’s strongman became the Indo-Pacific’s unlikely hero – and other tales of disinformation
The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed a case of travelling disinformation from Africa that has been adapted to suit the local context. Africa is a known hotbed for information warfare. The western African nation of Burkina Faso is especially infamous for the deepfake videos of its junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré, being praised by American celebrities. Fabricated content of his fictional debate with Donald Trump has also circulated and made its way into the region.
In our ethnographic monitoring of the Indo-Pacific social media environment, we observed a sudden influx of Traoré-related content. In Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands, this influx began in early April, mirroring international posting patterns on X. In Indonesia, Traoré-related posts emerged in late June and peaked in July.
This content is being shared into local Facebook pages and groups by supposedly local users, but originating from non-local sources – primarily African community pages and digital creator accounts, along with some United States pro-Russia groups. These source accounts exhibit suspicious behavioural patterns, including sudden and dramatic shifts from their historical posting narratives. For example, a fashion influencer and a comedy account both abruptly pivoted to posting almost exclusively pro-Traoré content. One page lay dormant for two years, created under the name “Italia for Black Lives”, before being repurposed as “African Diaspora International” a month after Traoré seized power in 2022.
Broadly, false and misleading claims have been used to present Traoré as a strong leader that resists the West and fosters economic prosperity and independence. We observe these same narratives being localised in the Indo-Pacific. In Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, opposition accounts have leveraged an existing AI-generated video of Traoré’s anti-Western imperialism speech to criticise their own respective governments. In Indonesia, the “young and bold” Traoré has been contrasted to President Prabowo Subianto’s perceived weakness in negotiating tariffs with Trump. In PNG, a fictional video depicting the International Monetary Fund as conspiring to plunder Burkina Faso’s wealth was circulated in a local group as legitimate and used to question the legitimacy of PNG’s mineral exports.
In April 2025, amid a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister James Marape, the “Voices for a New PNG” Facebook account praised Traoré as a role model for “a new leadership” needed by PNG. This video further perpetuated false claims about Traoré and was shared more than 8,000 times. It spread to local groups in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, alongside other posts praising Traoré’s strong leadership and urging their own nations to follow his example in rejecting Western influence. Similar videos gained close to half a million views in Indonesia.
Russia is believed to have supported the pro-Traoré disinformation campaigns in Burkina Faso and, despite having little strategic interest in the region, has been implicated in previous campaigns in the Pacific.
Overall, these narratives draw parallels between Indo-Pacific nations and Burkina Faso: they posit that both nations are poor despite having abundant natural resources and therefore, they should nationalise their resources, enforce their sovereignty, and rise as Burkina Faso supposedly has. But why are these narratives being leveraged in the Indo-Pacific now, and are they organic or orchestrated?
To some extent, these narratives reflect local grievances and, from our observations on Facebook, they seem to attract some genuine engagement. Online chatter evidently linked Traoré narratives to ongoing movements to challenge their national leaders and improve their economic situation. Although the engagement appears partly organic, the consistency of the messaging suggests the possibility that foreign actors may be amplifying or guiding the narrative. Notably, many of the local accounts disseminating this content have previously amplified pro-China and pro-Russia messaging.
Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in May (Stanislav Krasilnikov via Getty Images)
Russia is believed to have supported the pro-Traoré disinformation campaigns in Burkina Faso and, despite having little strategic interest in the region, has been implicated in previous campaigns in the Pacific. French officials view these efforts as part of a broader hybrid warfare targeting France and its former colonies, which include Burkina Faso and Vanuatu.
French-Pacific territories have likewise been targeted by influence operations and remain vulnerable. Violent protests in New Caledonia in 2024 – which France later claimed had been exacerbated by disinformation campaigns run by Azerbaijan – led to a renewed effort to negotiate independence from France. The Bougival Accord, negotiated in July, would give New Caledonia greater diplomatic and economic autonomy. With a referendum set for early 2026 and the populace still largely divided between independence and remaining French, disinformation stands to be a powerful tool for exerting sharp power in the Pacific.
China has also engaged in regional information campaigns and, unlike Russia, has more concrete strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific. They have recently adopted more aggressive influence tactics against western nations and have a history of repeating Russian disinformation. Given China and Russia’s declared “no limits” partnership and evidence suggesting they have already cooperated on disinformation campaigns during the 2024 Solomon Islands election, coordinated efforts become increasingly plausible.
While there is little direct evidence of either Russian or Chinese involvement in this case, some circulated content appears consistent with earlier Russia-linked campaigns. Whether organic or orchestrated, the spread of pro-Traoré disinformation in the Indo-Pacific has significant implications for understanding how false narratives can be quickly adapted to suit the contexts of seemingly distant nations.
About the authors
Jennifer Williams
Jennifer J.
Nava Nuraniyah
Nava Nuraniyah is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of International Studies, Macquarie University.
Jordon Borg
Jordon Borg is a PhD candidate and researcher at Macquarie University, whose research focusses on the spread of misinformation, specifically the social and psychological mechanisms which lead to its spread and acceptance.
Julian Droogan
Professor Julian Droogan is Head of the School of International Studies at Macquarie University.
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