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Claim: A viral TikTok audio claims to feature U.S. President Donald Trump and Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, making statements about Africa’s independence and Burkina Faso’s relationship with the West.
Verdict: False. The audio is AI-generated and not based on any real exchange between the two leaders.
Full Text
Of the eight African countries that have experienced successful military coups in recent years, Burkina Faso, under the leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, stands out.
Traoré has gained widespread attention for his anti-Western rhetoric and pan-African ideals. He seized power after accusing the previous government of failing to curb jihadist violence. Initially, he pledged to hand over power to civilians by 2024, a deadline that has been extended.
Since taking office, Traoré has cut ties with France, called for African unity, and urged African nations to take control of their mineral resources.
His administration has also strengthened ties with Russia. These actions have earned him admiration across the continent, but they have also triggered a wave of misinformation and propaganda online.
Recently, a viral TikTok audio surfaced online, purportedly featuring Donald Trump and Captain Ibrahim Traoré discussing Africa’s sovereignty and Burkina Faso’s relations with the West.
In the audio, two voices presented as those of Trump and Traoré appear to engage in a back-and-forth exchange about sovereignty and Africa’s political direction.
The first voice, said to be Donald Trump, described Traore’s actions as “reckless.”
“What is happening in Africa, especially in Burkina Faso, with Ibrahim Traoré? People are looking at him like he is some kind of hero, but in reality, he is taking the country down a very dangerous path. He talks about sovereignty but makes deals that could turn Burkina Faso into one of America’s enemies, and we cannot ignore that.”
The second voice, attributed to Ibrahim Traoré, responded that France’s investments and intervention have not brought significant benefits to his people.
“You call me reckless for expelling France, for rejecting foreign troops that have been here for decades, but what has their presence really brought us? he queried.
“The President of the United States has spoken of me as reckless, as a young man who does not understand the world, who has pushed Burkina Faso towards Russia, towards China, and towards isolation. He says America has invested billions in Africa and that without America, NATO, or the leadership of the West, Africa cannot survive.
But let me ask this: if America has truly invested billions in Africa, why are our people still poor? Why are our farmers still struggling to feed their children? Why are our young men and women risking their lives to cross deserts and oceans in search of greener pastures outside their land?”
As of Oct. 24, 2025, the post has gained 7,080 likes, 1,001 comments, 935 bookmarks, and 2,862 shares.
Some users, like @A1, dismissed the clip, commenting, “AI, this is not Trump.”
Other users like @Godwin Oyibode believed the post and praised the supposed exchange between the two leaders. He wrote, “He is a hero, Burkinfaso is not a vassal state of America.”
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the audio clip due to its virality, growing public confusion, and a request to verify its authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA checked and found that the viral audio is not authentic. We analysed the video using an AI voice detection tool called AI Voice Detector. The result showed that it was only 1% real, indicating that it was likely AI-generated.
The platform further revealed that both voices were artificially created to mimic Trump and Traoré.
Another AI detection tool, Hiya Deepfake Detector, also rated the audio 1/100, noting the sampled voice is likely a deepfake.
We conducted keyword searches but found no credible record or verified report of such an exchange between the two leaders.
A keyword search across reputable media platforms, such as the BBC and Al Jazeera, also did not yield any evidence that Trump made such a statement regarding Captain Traoré or Burkina Faso’s internal affairs.
There is also no verified record of Traoré responding to Trump in any official statement or interview.
DUBAWA’s investigation also found that Captain Ibrahim Traoré does not speak English in any public forum or broadcast. Numerous videos of him addressing audiences in English are AI-generated translations from French or Dioula.
