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On midday May 21, 2025, false narratives emerged on several social media platforms suggesting that a military coup d’état had deposed the Côte d’Ivoire’s democratically elected government.
The reports, which spread quickly across the digital platforms, also suggested that President Alassane Ouattara had been captured by the military, and the internet network in the West African State had been disrupted.
However, checks by Fact-check Ghana proved that the reports were completely false and without merit.
Fact-check Ghana spoke with Ivorian journalists, editors, and leading civil society actors who debunked the viral claims. They challenged the narratives making rounds online and asserted that Alassane Ouattara is still at post as president of the country and there had not been any military coup. They also confirmed that the internet connection has not been disrupted, nor have any of the social media platforms shut down.
Eventually, on May 22, the National Agency for Information Systems Security of Côte d’Ivoire (ANSSI) also denied the coup rumours in an official statement.
Despite debunking the viral claims, Fact-check Ghana has observed that new videos and photos are still emerging on social media, especially on X and TikTok, perpetuating the false narrative that there has been a coup in Ivory Coast.
In the report, Fact-check Ghana presents the facts about the viral videos accompanying the false information on a coup in Ivory Coast.
Video 1: Côte d’Ivoire’s Chief of Defence Staff was killed in a failed coup attempt
In this viral TikTok video, the user alleged that there was indeed a coup attempt in Ivory Coast, however, it failed. This is because the Chief of Defence Staff, who was supposed to lead the coup, was shot in the process, according to the TikTok account.
Fact: Lieutenant General Lassina Doumbia, Chief of Defence Staff of the Ivorian Armed Forces, is reported to be alive and has not been shot at or attacked by anyone. Several news media outlets in Ivory Coast, citing sources close to General Doumbia, have debunked the claim.
Video 2: Alassane Ouattara captured by the military
The video shows a man, alleged to be President Ouattara, captured and being mistreated by the military.
Fact: It’s an old video that emerged online in April 2011, more than a decade ago. The man in the video is Laurent Gbagbo, former Ivorian president. The video was published when Mr Gbagbo was captured by the Ivorian military after months of political standoff between him and President Ouattara. Here’s a link to the longer version of the video: https://youtu.be/CEte0KZMa2k?si=LQ9-_FP41sRQb5oA
Also, contrary to the false reports, President Alassane Ouattara was spotted on May 22, 2025, at the UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Prize Award Ceremony in Abidjan, discharging his presidential duties.
Video 3: Soldiers on a bike celebrating on the streets
The video shows military men parading in the street amidst jubilation by the public. It creates the impression that Ivorians are happy about the military coup they claim has occurred.
Fact: The origin of the video is Burkina Faso and has no relation to the Ivory Coast. Some individuals in the background of the video, who appear to be civilians, are spotted waving the Burkina Faso flag.
Video 4: A burning storey building
The video shows a building burning while a lot of people watch on. It connotes the idea that Ivory Coast is burning as a result of the so-called coup d’état.
Fact: The video of the burning building is from a fire outbreak incident in February 2025 at Adjamé Château shopping centre in Abidjan. More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY-DfanaAaw
Video 5: Civilian, appearing to stand with military men, claims the soldiers were the ones who conducted
The civilian appearing in the video is insinuating that the military men are special forces from the Sahel who came to the Ivory Coast to carry out the Coup.
Facts: There are varied versions of this video on TikTok, including this one. The team’s verification showed that the military men are not special forces from the Sahel, as falsely claimed by the speaker in the video. Rather, they are soldiers from the Ivory Coast, as evidenced by how their uniforms conform to similar uniforms of Ivorian soldiers.
Photo on the left: Spot the badge on the shoulders of the uniform and insignia on the beret of Ivorian soldiers during the inauguration of the Jacqueville Military Academy near Abidjan, June 10, 2021 (Photo: REUTERS- Luc Gnago)
Photo on the right: The soldiers have the same badge on their shoulders and insignia on the beret as in the photo on the left, proving they are indeed Ivorian soldiers (Photo: Screengrab from the viral video)
Also, the civilian providing the commentary was not present when the video was taken. He has, however, superimposed himself into the video to mislead the public into believing that he was standing with the soldiers.
Video 6: A civilian films a military base while shouting
While showing the military base with running armed soldiers and moving cars, the video has the photos of President Alassane Ouattara and the Burkinabe military leader, Ibrahim Traore. The video suggests that the movement of soldiers and military cars is related to the alleged coup in Ivory Coast.
Fact: The video is from Guinea. It has no connection with the Ivory Coast. When translated, the person shouting in the video was praising the Guinean military leader, Mamady Doumbouya, adding that he (Doumbouya) is well and around, and is the best president in the world.
In conclusion, all the viral videos trending on various social media platforms attempting to provide some form of evidence that a coup has happened in Ivory Coast are being shared out of context. There has been no coup d’état in Ivory Coast.
