How did Burkina Faso become one of the most viral political stories on social media, despite limited internet access at home?
In this episode, Henry Wyard, Senior Policy Analyst, and Finlay Taylor, Junior Investigations Analyst, unpack how Burkina Faso has found itself at the forefront of modern disinformation warfare, AI-driven propaganda, and scam ecosystems operating across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and beyond. The discussion explores the global online campaign surrounding military leader Ibrahim Traoré — examining how bot networks, AI-generated videos, deepfakes, click farms and fabricated economic “success stories” are reshaping public perception far beyond West Africa.
Key topics covered:
- How AI has transformed propaganda into scalable, anonymous influence campaigns
- The role of bots, click farms and astroturfed engagement
- Fake gold mining claims, deepfake world leaders and AI-generated music propaganda
- The geopolitical narratives tying Burkina Faso, Russia and anti-Western sentiment
- Why West Africa’s mineral wealth makes it a strategic disinformation battleground
- The collapse of democratic norms and the fallout from ECOWAS sanctions
- How disinformation fuels fraud, scams and financial crime risk
This episode breaks down how modern propaganda works, why it spreads and what it means for geopolitics, financial crime and global security, using Burkina Faso as a case study in the future of influence operations.
Perfect for viewers interested in:
Disinformation | AI & propaganda | Financial crime | Cyber-enabled fraud | Geopolitics | Africa security | OSINT | Risk & intelligence
Podcast: Burkina Faso & The Cutting Edge of Propaganda
Based on analysis by Finlay Taylor
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