Viral AI-manipulated photo. Source: Facebook.
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Claim: A Facebook user shared a photo of a man campaigning that no one should vote for Ousainou Darboe, Former Vice President of The Gambia and presidential contestant in the forthcoming election.
Verdict: Misleading. The shared image is AI-manipulated. The original version was taken in April 2026, during protests against the rearrest of Ousainou Bojang and his sister, Amie Bojang. Both had been accused of killing Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers in The Gambia.
Full Text
Mu’aath Ibn Jabbal, a Facebook user, posted a photo of a man campaigning against voting for Ousainou Darboe, the Former Vice President of The Gambia and a presidential candidate in the forthcoming election.
The individual carried a placard that read “Lawyer Darboe is the problem in The Gambia. Let no one vote for him.”
As of July 27, 2026, the post (archived here) had 330 likes and 526 comments. While some Facebook users believed it to be true, others questioned its validity.
For example, Alieu Sarjo said, “ This man in the picture didn’t write this. Please do not tarnish his image. If people insult him, you’re the one who causes it. Please stop it. Ali Baba is not in politics.”
Another user, Lamin Sawaneh, wrote, “Sitting in one place and just grabbing a few dalasis makes you talk.”
Pasko Manneh also wrote, “ This man never held this placard. Stop conflicting people. Gambia woo”
But Abdoulie Jatta agreed, saying, “I agree a million per cent.”
Leon Gomez, also supporting the claimant, wrote, “You’re 100% right. The majority of Gambians vote against him. He’s indeed the main problem of this country.”
The post was also shared by another Facebook page here.
DUBAWA conducted this fact check due to conflicting comments and the current political atmosphere ahead of The Gambia’s upcoming presidential election.
Verification
We conducted a Google reverse image search and traced the original image to an April 1, 2026, protest that happened in Brufut. During the protest, youth occupied the streets demanding the immediate release of Ousainou Bojang and Amie Bojang, who were rearrested on March 31, 2026, after a court ruling had already acquitted them of all charges related to the killing of two Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers.
The text on the original image reads, “Respect the law and free Ousainou and Amie.” While the circulating version reads, “Lawyer Darboe is the problem in The Gambia. Let no one vote for him.”
We further subjected the viral image to Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection tools. Hive Detect indicated that it contained 98.4 per cent AI elements, while Ai or Not showed 91 per cent.
Conclusion
The image of a man holding a placard that says, “Darboe is the problem in The Gambia, and no one should vote for him,” is AI-manipulated. The image is a real protest image but was altered to drive the new narrative. The claim is misleading.
This report was produced under the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking and OSINT Fellowship, co-hosted by DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
