A video circulating on social media, showing Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema announcing his resignation, has turned out to be deepfake created by artificial intelligence, the AGP reported on Thursday, citing an official source.
On Tuesday, November 4th, a video posted on Hilaire Boubala’s Facebook page showed the Gabonese leader in a meeting room purportedly announcing his resignation.
This widely shared content was allegedly linked, according to its creators, to a supposed legal case involving former First Lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba and her son.
Upon verification, it appears that this video is a fake, generated by artificial intelligence. Several visual and audio inconsistencies were noted, including an unusual setting, abnormal eye movements, and inappropriate language, out of character for the Gabonese president.
Contacted by the Gabonese Press Agency (APA), the Presidency’s communications department firmly denied the rumor, stating that it was “a malicious digital fabrication without any basis.”
The Gabonese leader continued his official activities as normal on Wednesday, November 5, receiving several delegations, including the director of the IMF’s Africa Department and Ghanaian Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams.
Similar cases targeting the Gabonese president have already been observed on social media.
Gabonese authorities are calling for vigilance and are considering strengthened measures, through the High Authority for Communication (HAC), to combat disinformation and the manipulation of the image of state institutions.
DM/ac/Sf/fss/as/APA