Exposing The Manipulated Ibrahim Traore Family Image

A widely circulated photo claims to show Burkinabe junta leader Ibrahim Traoré with his wife and three children. This image, sourced from social media, has been determined to be manipulated content and therefore Fake. This fact-check was researched by Alfa Shaban.

The popularity of Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkinabe junta leader, has sparked sentiments across Africa, fueled by viral reports of him transforming the West African country for the better.

Videos of Traoré in his usual military fatigue, alongside soldiers on the frontline fighting terrorists, AI-generated videos of him speaking English, photos of his engagement with other junta leaders, and meetings with other leaders have been widely shared, especially on social media.

GhanaFact has observed that an alleged photo of Traore and his family – wife and three children – has gone viral and attracted significant reactions online. We observed that the image has been widely shared on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Fig 1 – Screenshot of a YouTube video that references the said image

This report will ascertain the authenticity of the image.

Investigating the Image Origins

GhanaFact used Google Lens to trace the original image of Traore as contained in the viral content. We found the following:

1. The image was of Traore taking part in the Russia-Africa summit in July 2023.
2. It had previously been used in a Jeune Afrique publication and a social media post by German broadcaster DW.

The image was hosted on the platform of IMAGO-IMAGES with a caption that read: “RUSSIA, ST PETERSBURG – JULY 29, 2023: Transitional President of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore (C) arrives at the Constantine Palace for a meeting with Russia’s President Putin (not pictured) at the second Russia-Africa Summit. Mikhail Metzel/TASS Host Photo Agency.”

Fig 2 – The original image of Traore on the site of a photo agency

The Jeune Afrique news portal also used the same image for a March 2024 publication on Ibrahim Traore with a similar image caption that credits the same photographer and source – Mikhail Metzel and TASS.

Uncovering Manipulation Techniques

An image analysis also revealed that some persons with Ibrahim Traoré in the original image had been cropped out, while Traore has been fused with other characters (the supposed wife and kids) into the viral image.

A feature that exposes the possible manipulation of the original photo is the hand of Ibrahim Traoré as it appears in the family photo. Characteristic of AI images, specific body parts appear off. The original image did not show Traore’s fingers, but the viral image does. Also, the wristwatch he wore in Russia is different from what is captured in the viral image.

AI Detector Analysis

Further analysis using the wasitai.com platform confirmed that there was a high possibility that the image was AI-generated.

“We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI,” the platform’s verdict said.

Additionally, there is also no credible report about Traore’s family since he rose to prominence.

Fig 3 – Output of AI detector website on status of the viral photo

The Verdict: A Fabricated Family Photo

From the above, the image is manipulated and Fake.

GhanaFact has reached out to a number of accounts that shared the said images with our findings. We will update this script on an ongoing basis.