Why supporters of Burkina Faso’s junta chief are campaigning in opposition to a Sky Information journalist

[ad_1] Supporters of Burkina Faso's junta chief Captain Ibrahim Traoré have unleashed a tidal wave of hate in opposition to a Sky Information journalist after she revealed a information report essential of his insurance policies.

Traoré, who took energy in a coup in September 2022, sat down for an interview with Sky Information Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir on April 2. Elbagir requested Traoré about restrictions on freedom of expression in Burkina Faso and concerning the worsening safety state of affairs within the nation, which has a rising jihadist insurgency.

Elbagir’s report, filmed in Ouagadougou, was revealed on-line on April 10. She stories on the safety struggles confronted by the federal government as a jihadist group continues to hold out assaults throughout the nation, in addition to the federal government’s repression of the opposition. Throughout her interview with Traoré, Elbagir raised questions on each the failures of the army technique put into place by the Burkina Faso military and the curbing of the liberty of expression.

A wave of harassment Upset by the report criticising their chief, many Traoré supporters began attacking Elbagir on-line, calling her every little thing from a "mercenary of the pen” to a “bat”, with AI-generated photos for instance their insults. Different social media customers shared rumours about her household, claiming that her father Ahmed Elbagir is definitely an agent with the British intelligence and that her sister, additionally a journalist, is an “affect agent”.

Supporters of Ibrahim Traoré have been harassing Sky Information journalist Yousra Elbagir on-line since April 10, 2026. © Fb Different Traoré supporters tried to harass the journalist on WhatsApp by circulating a telephone quantity they claimed was hers. Additionally they claimed that Elbagir’s quantity had been made public by a pro-Traoré group referred to as the "BIR-C" (or Battalion for Fast Communications Interventions) which seems to function as a kind of on-line militia for the regime.

Communications battle Fb pages and teams that declare hyperlinks with the BIR-C additionally say that they're engaged in a "communications battle” with Sky Information. They declare that they managed to get Elbagir’s report taken down from YouTube by publishing a whole lot of destructive feedback.

Nevertheless, this declare is fake. Whereas Sky Information did take down the preliminary model of Elbagir’s report, they revealed one other model quickly after and mentioned it was resulting from a manufacturing error.

The caption on the video now reads, “It is a re-edit of a video posted on 9 April through which there was a manufacturing error. The unique video mistakenly included some footage from Mali and Benin. On this model, that has been changed by appropriate footage displaying Burkina Faso.”

You possibly can see the excerpts included by error (right here and right here) in an unique model of the video posted on Fb.

Traoré supporters have additionally been making one other false declare. They are saying that Elbagir broke into tears mid-interview “after greater than 15,000 social media customers from internationally referred to as her a liar and a manipulator after her reporting in Burkina". The photograph of Elbagir crying, which social media customers have been sharing as “proof” of this story, was really taken from a report Elbagir filmed in Sudan in April 2025. We discovered it on YouTube utilizing a reverse picture search (to learn the way to hold out one your self, see our helpful information).

Professional-Traoré social media customers shared this picture on Fb on April 13, 2026, claiming that it confirmed Yousra Elbagir crying about criticism of her latest report in Burkina Faso. In actuality, this comes from a report that Elbagir filmed in Sudan in 2025. © Fb An issue over management of the territory Elbagir was additionally a sufferer of on-line assaults as a result of she questioned Traoré’s safety insurance policies. Through the interview, Elbagir mentioned that jihadist teams now management 60 % of the nation. This differs from the official authorities narrative that the federal government has full management of 74 % of the nation.

Our crew spoke to Héni Nsaibia, a senior analyst specialised in West Africa at Armed Battle Location & Occasion Information, an unbiased group that screens armed conflicts. Nsaibia mentioned that it is very important have a extra exact and nuanced dialogue concerning the query of territorial management:

"There are only a few territories which are underneath full management of any celebration. After we discuss management, it’s really extra of a spectrum between affect, contestation and management.

The affect of Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, is rising in Burkina Faso. Whereas it doesn’t solidly management 60 % of the territory, you may say that JNIM contests or asserts affect over 60 to 70 %."

Nsaibia agrees with Elbagir that the safety state of affairs in Burkina Faso is just getting worse:

"The regime is attempting to exhibit that it's making progress, however we see that in actuality the safety state of affairs isn't getting higher. Burkina’s armed forces are undoubtedly attempting their greatest, however up to now, they haven't held the bottom. Authorities management over territory in Burkina Faso tends to be damaged up; it's extra like an archipelago. About 40 localities in Burkina Faso are underneath blockade by armed teams."

‘Attacking folks’ Why is such a large marketing campaign being waged in opposition to Elbagir?

To start with, there's a push to assault any narrative that doesn’t align with the propaganda from Burkina’s authorities, such because the worsening of the safety state of affairs.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, Senior Sahel Researcher at Human Rights Watch, was additionally a sufferer of a web based marketing campaign of harassment after the publication on April 2 of a report through which the NGO said that the Burkina military was regarded as accountable for the deaths of 1,255 civilians since 2023. The report attributes one other 582 civilian deaths to the jihadist group JNIM. Allegrozzi, who receives dozens of derogatory messages a day, instructed us about how Traoré’s supporters function:

"The supporters of the army junta will not be taking it effectively in any respect that we revealed a worrying state of affairs by way of human rights violations, together with abuses carried out by the safety forces. It’s exhausting for them to counter the proof in our report, in order that they resort to attacking folks.”

Traoré's supporters are additionally broadening their criticism.

"Their discourse is now not simply anti-France, however anti-Western. Human Rights Watch was focused, identical to Sky Information, as a result of it's seen as a Western establishment," Allegrozzi says.

The harassment, she says, is “very well-organised.”

“It’s not only one particular person sending messages, however a gaggle of people who find themselves a part of a government-sponsored communications technique.”

Why Elbagir’s reporting was seen as undermining authorities communications Lastly, the supporters' infuriated response to Elbagir’s report may additionally be as a result of it runs counter to the best way the federal government has tried to painting itself to English-speaking nations.

On X, one social media consumer wrote, “Yousra Elbagir has uncovered years of ‘com' from Burkina authorities aimed on the English-speaking public. And her supporters have been pissed off ever since.”

Because the FRANCE 24 Observers crew has reported in earlier articles, the Burkina authorities have launched a number of propaganda campaigns aiming to boost Traoré’s reputation overseas. They’ve met with some success.

For instance, in Might 2025, a whole lot of pretend, AI-generated music movies singing Traoré’s praises have been produced in Nigeria. They have been meant to achieve folks residing in English-speaking African nations in addition to these in america.

In reponse to Elbagir’s report, Traoré’s supporters mentioned that they have been able to assault any criticism from overseas. One media outlet which helps the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which incorporates Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – posted this warning:

"The time for complacency is over. The period the place any overseas media outlet might strut into Ouagadougou to spit on our establishments is completed.”

A media outlet that's in favour of the Alliance of Sahel (AES) used this photograph of Sky journalist Yousra Elbagir to announce its marketing campaign in opposition to overseas media retailers on April 15, 2026. © Fb This text has been translated from the unique in French.