If viral videos online are to be believed, R. Kelly and Pope Leo XIV agree on one thing; that Burkina Faso's junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is a remarkable head of state.
The images, however, are artificial intelligence-generated propaganda, part of what experts describe as an extensive disinformation campaign designed to bolster the "personality cult" of the West African strongman.
Beyonce and Justin Bieber are among other celebrities whose faces and voices have been digitally manipulated using AI to sing the praises of Traore.
In one such video, attributed to disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, the AI-generated lyrics glorify Traore, who seized power in a 2022 coup, saying: "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 currently serving a 30-year prison sentence in the United States for crimes including the sexual trafficking of minors, yet the song - produced entirely using AI - has amassed over two million views since its release in May.
The doctored content has been widely circulated across West African social media platforms.
This phenomenon emerges in the wake of a series of military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Guinea, with the region already grappling with growing instability fuelled by jihadist violence.
"These are influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at extending Captain Traore's personality cult into Burkina Faso's English-speaking neighbours," said an American researcher who requested anonymity.
Pledge of Control
After taking power in September 2022, Traore vowed to swiftly restore control in Burkina Faso, which continues to suffer from jihadist attacks linked to both Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Nearly three years on, such attacks persist - and have even intensified - claiming thousands of lives.
In the meantime, several military officers accused of plotting coups have been arrested. Alleged comments by former US Africa Command head General Michael Langley, claiming Traore was using Burkina Faso's gold reserves for personal protection, triggered widespread public outrage and protests.
It was around this period that a surge of AI-generated videos glorifying Traore began flooding social media.
"Information manipulation has become a strategic tool for maintaining power and legitimising the junta's rule," said a Burkinabe specialist in strategic communication, who spoke anonymously for safety reasons.
A 'Digital Army'
Viral campaigns combining propaganda and AI content are being amplified by activists and English-speaking influencers - particularly those criticising Langley while celebrating Traore.
Some appear to be capitalising on the trend for financial gain, while others are reportedly affiliated with the junta's cyber propaganda unit, known as the Rapid Communication Intervention Battalions (BIR-C), the Burkinabe expert noted.
"They truly operate like a digital army," the source explained, adding that the unit is led by a US-based activist, Ibrahima Maiga, and asserting there are no direct ties to Russian actors.
Nevertheless, the group's anti-imperialist messaging - portraying Captain Traore as a saviour of Burkina Faso and the African continent against Western neo-colonialism - aligns with Russian interests and is consequently amplified by Russian networks.
Russian Connections
According to the American researcher, "some reports have indeed identified Russian connections behind the recent escalation in disinformation efforts", particularly those targeting English-speaking countries like Ghana and Nigeria.
"Destabilising Nigeria could have far-reaching effects across the region," he warned.
Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji, who specialises in Russian influence campaigns, agreed, stating that media outlets in Burkina Faso and Togo have allegedly accepted payments from agents tied to Russia to disseminate such propaganda.
Meanwhile, the Burkinabe junta has expelled foreign journalists from the country, while domestic media outlets increasingly self-censor for fear of arrest - or, in some cases, forced deployment to the frontlines of the conflict against jihadists.
Although some within the Burkinabe diaspora have sought to challenge the junta's narrative - including by amplifying reports of jihadist activity - commenting on or sharing such posts is deemed to constitute glorification of terrorism, a crime punishable by between one and five years in prison.
