Timbuktu Institute - January 2025

As part of its efforts to promote local solutions and approaches to the fight against disinformation, the Timbuktu Institute - African Center for Peace Studies is giving the floor to local players and civil society organizations, with the aim of encouraging the emergence of local and endogenous initiatives to combat this phenomenon which, according to Bakary Sambe, represents “a destabilizing factor and a setback for democracy in a context of instability and insecurity in the Sahel”. This interview with Harouna Drabo Simbo (FasoCheck) from Burkina Faso is the first in a series of interviews to be conducted and published over the coming weeks. In a sensitive and unstable politico-security context, it is clear that misinformation often contributes to aggravating the situation.With this in mind, approaches to combating misinformation need to be both coordinated and comprehensive. To achieve this, “we need to build an alliance between organizations specializing in the fight against disinformation, the mainstream media, civil society organizations and public institutions”, asserts this journalist from the fact-checking platform, FasoCheck.

What are the main vectors of misinformation in Burkina Faso, particularly in the context of the security crisis?

First of all, there are the digital platforms, in this case the social networks. Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, the most widely used social networks, are the main channels for disinformation. Then there are private messaging services like WhatsApp, which is very popular in Burkina Faso. Insofar as WhatsApp has the characteristics of confidentiality, intimacy and affinity between people in discussion groups, it becomes a privileged place for the dissemination of false information. The socio-political and security crisis that the country is currently experiencing is leading to a form of repression on freedom of expression and the press, reducing the space for debate. As a result, people are expressing themselves much more in private messaging services, the antechambers for the circulation of fake news.

What role do local media, community leaders and state authorities play in the fight against misinformation?

We keep saying that every player in public life - the media, public authorities and civil society organizations - has an important role and responsibility. First and foremost, the local media, which produce local information that takes into account the socio-cultural singularities of populations, mainly by broadcasting their information in local languages. These media are, to use a military expression, the armed arm that can be used to broadcast fact-checking articles in radio formats, adapted to the information consumption habits of grassroots populations. When you look at fact-checking initiatives, you notice that the articles are published on French-language websites, even though the vast majority don't understand this language. Meanwhile, false information circulates in the local language. What we need to do now, and what we've been doing for the past two years, is to adapt fact-checking content into audio format and radio capsules for broadcast in the local media. This enables people to find out what's really going on, and to understand that the news is not true. As far as the public authorities are concerned, it's mainly a question of developing public policies in this area. I'd say that, despite a slight delay, public institutions are beginning to run awareness campaigns. The BCLCC (Brigade centrale de lutte contre la cybercriminalité), the CIL (Commission de l'Informatique et des Libertés) and other organizations are all trying to raise awareness. We also have the beginnings of a law in the revised penal code that punishes the dissemination of false information. As for civil society organizations, there are several that raise awareness through forum theaters, with the aim of helping people understand that information can be manipulated and not to take everything at face value.

How does misinformation impact on security crisis management and social cohesion, particularly in vulnerable areas?

Disinformation today undermines peace-building efforts and amplifies socio-political instability. We have several examples that we have verified ourselves. Today, there are certain vulnerable areas where fake news has led to the displacement of populations. A report that a column of armed terrorist groups was on its way to attack a village created panic, prompting people to flee to a regional capital. In a situation where the means to provide increasingly scarce humanitarian aid are becoming increasingly scarce, this exacerbates the problem. As for security issues and diplomatic tensions with traditional international partners, these are often fuelled by instrumentalized fake news that adds fuel to the fire. These situations sometimes lead to demonstrations and the circulation of general denunciation narratives, when in fact such information, even if it includes a factual element, is nonetheless infox, aggravating an already fragile situation.

What local solutions could be put in place to effectively combat misinformation?

First and foremost, we need to build an effective alliance between organizations specializing in the fight against misinformation, mainstream professional media, civil society organizations and public institutions. Clearly, organizations specializing in the fight against misinformation make their verified content available to the mainstream media, with the aim of boosting the latter's audience. A second very important component of the mainstream media is the community radio stations located in the regions, provinces and hinterland in general. At this level, the verified content in question needs to be adapted into audio capsules in the main local languages for better dissemination. Then there's the third column: CSOs specializing in citizenship and social cohesion issues. The latter can seize upon the knowledge and analytical data on the underside of coordinated disinformation campaigns produced by fact-checking organizations. This will enable them, on the one hand, to raise awareness among grassroots populations, and, on the other, to draw up advocacy material for public authorities. Finally, these measures will enable the fourth column, i.e. state institutions, to take action. Effective coordination of these various actions can convince the authorities of the urgent need for appropriate and effective legislation and public policies. This, in a nutshell, is the fork in the road needed for a structural fight against misinformation.

Interview by Kensio Akpo - Media & Strategy Specialist - Timbuktu Institute