|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire has died at the American Hospital in Paris, as France 24 and Jeune Afrique reported.
Verdict: False! The claim that President Alassane Ouattara died at the American Hospital in Paris is disproven by official denials from France 24 and Jeune Afrique, in addition to updates from the Presidency of Côte d’Ivoire, confirming Ouattara’s return to Abidjan on March 31, 2025.
Full Text
Multiple social media posts suggest that President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire passed away at the American Hospital in Paris on March 31, 2025.
One post that attributed this news to France 24 was timestamped “1 m” (1 minute ago) and labelled “URGENT: #CôtedIvoire.”
It stated that Ouattara died a few hours after delivering his Eid greetings to the Ivorian people, according to “sources close to the family.” It offered condolences with the phrase “Peuple frère et ami ivoirien” (brother and friend Ivorian people).
The report included a photograph presumed to be of Ouattara in front of the Côte d’Ivoire national flag.
Subsequently, a second post, attributed to Jeune Afrique, was timestamped “À l’instant” (just now)that reads: “#URGENT: Décès annoncé de Alassane Ouattara, Président de la #CôtedIvoire ce jour à l’hôpital américain de Paris en début d’après midi, information confirmée par une source hospitalière” thus (Urgent: Death announced of Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire today at the American Hospital in Paris in the early afternoon, information confirmed by a hospital source).
This post also featured a photograph of Ouattara and a link (https://jeuneafrique.com/PMZ) to Jeune Afrique’s website.
However, a prominent Facebook user, Johnny Patcheko, with over 450,000 followers and over 410,000 on YouTube, amplified the misinformation by claiming to have screenshotted the France 24 post.
He wrote: “France 24 j’ai déjà fait capture hein, pourquoi vous supprimez?” (France 24 I already captured, huh? Why are you deleting it?), suggesting the outlet had posted and removed it.
His post garnered 12k reactions, 4.4k comments, and 499 shares, significantly boosting the hoax’s reach.
User reactions varied on the digital platform, with Azrapanhou Appel Masqué expressing scepticism, “I disagree with him on a lot of things… anyway, I refuse this news.”
Another user, Adama Foungnigué Ouattara, reflected on human cruelty: “Hmmmm, you have to see to believe… How can you wish death on your neighbour.”
After official denials, Laz’art Minoungou accused the media of manipulation, “They all published and deleted quickly… They have long lost all credibility.”
Amid the confusion, DUBAWA verified the claim’s authenticity.
Verification
The verification of the claim relies on multiple distinct lines of evidence critically examined by DUBAWA:
- Official denials from reputable sources: France 24 and Jeune Afrique, the outlets supposedly reporting Ouattara’s death, have explicitly denied publishing such stories. France 24 labelled the circulating post as a “graphic manipulation” and marked it with an “INTOX” stamp to indicate falsehood. Similarly, Jeune Afrique stated they never released the alleged information and stamped the screenshot with “FAUX,” confirming its inauthenticity.
- Presidential confirmation of Ouattara’s well-being: On March 31, 2025, around 11 p.m., the Presidency of Côte d’Ivoire posted an official update announcing Ouattara’s return to Abidjan after a visit to France. The update was accompanied by a photograph of him appearing healthy and active. The update noted that he was welcomed by the vice president and government members, directly contradicting the death claim.
- Flaws in editing and presentation: The fake posts lack credibility markers such as named sources, official statements, or functional links. The France 24 post does not align with the outlet’s branding, missing consistent layout and faint logo standards, while the Jeune Afrique post includes a URL (https://jeuneafrique.com/PMZ) that leads nowhere, exposing its fraudulent nature.
- Swift debunking by local authorities: Local Ivorian media, including Denguele TV, quickly identified the claim as false, leveraging their knowledge of official communication norms. The presidency’s rapid response further dismantled the hoax, providing immediate, authoritative evidence of Ouattara’s return to Abidjan.
- Comparison to authentic reporting standards: Unlike regular articles from France 24 and Jeune Afrique, the fake posts lack proper sourcing, visual coherence, and editorial rigour. Also, the language in the fabricated France 24 post deviates from the outlet’s professional standards. Authentic reporting typically includes verifiable details and corroboration, elements absent in the announcement.
- Lack of corroboration from other credible sources: No reputable news outlets beyond the falsified posts were found. Such a significant event would have triggered widespread coverage, yet the absence of any official confirmation underscores the claim’s falsity.
Conclusion
The claim that President Alassane Ouattara died at the American Hospital in Paris, as reported by social media posts attributed to France 24 and Jeune Afrique, is false. Both outlets have officially denied publishing these announcements, identifying them as fabricated.
