Terrorists slain in viral video, not Fulani insurgents

Claim: Burkina Faso military kill Fulani insurgents en route to Nigeria.

Verdict: False. News sources inform that the slain people in the circulated video are Jihadist terrorists who were killed by the Burkina Faso military.

Full Text

Burkina Faso, one of those countries ridden with terrorism in the West African region, has again been allegedly linked to the killing of Fulani insurgents supposedly headed to Nigeria. 

The claim, circulated on Meta’s WhatsApp several times, also has a two-minute and 20-second video attached. In the video is a blurred view of a slain group of people, alleged to be Fulani insurgents.

Due to unclear details in the claim, DUBAWA decided to verify it. 

Verification

The initial source of the video is linked to the YouTube channel owned by the Broadcasting Television of Burkina Faso– Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB). The video was shared on May 22, 2022. 

DUBAWA also discovered that the video, having a similar story, was shared by TV5 Monde. 

In the video, the army said, “It foiled an attack by jihadists against a military detachment yesterday in the north of the country. Five soldiers are said to have died, and 30 terrorists were reportedly killed.”

From the French-reported story, which DUBAWA translated, it was discovered that jihadists, numbered up to 200, had “found their way” to the military base.   

According to the report, the jihadists would have attacked the military detachment in the Bourzanga area of Burkina Faso. However, the military had foiled the attack. Earlier, the military had been informed of the “presence of several hundred fighters from the support group for Islam and Muslims within the zone.” 

Significantly, nothing is mentioned of any Fulani group linked to the incident. 

Conclusion 

The claim is false. News sources reveal that the slain terrorists in the video are jihadists, not Fulani terrorists.