A TikTok post circulating online claims to show a rebel attack on civilians in Mali, with a voiceover in Bambara calling for intervention by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa). The video shows a building on fire and several motorcycles ablaze in a parking lot shrouded in thick smoke. However, fact-checkers at PesaCheck have found the video to be fake. The scene was actually filmed during a popular uprising in Nepal in September 2025.
The post does not specify the location, commune, or region in Mali where the alleged attack took place, providing no verifiable context. PesaCheck conducted a reverse image search using Yandex, which revealed that the original images document riots and destruction during a popular revolt in Nepal. These sequences were widely shared on digital platforms at the time, as evidenced by contemporary posts on Instagram and Facebook.
A closer examination of the video shows that the license plates do not match those used in Mali but resemble Nepalese license plates. The audio in Bambara and the timestamp were added to create a false narrative. PesaCheck verified the TikTok post and found it to be false. This is part of an ongoing series of fact-checks by PesaCheck, examining content marked as potential disinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
PesaCheck is working in partnership with Facebook and similar social media platforms to help separate fact from fiction. The organization provides the public with a deeper understanding and context of the posts they see in their social media feeds. Users can report suspected false information on Facebook, and PesaCheck has a methodology in place for verifying dubious content.
The fact-check was written by Mardochée Boli and edited by Josaphat Finogbé, an article editor at PesaCheck. The article was approved for publication by Doreen Wainainah, the editor-in-chief at PesaCheck. PesaCheck is the first public finance fact-checking initiative in Africa, co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein.
PesaCheck aims to help the public distinguish reality from fiction in public statements about figures that shape our world, with a focus on public finance statements that shape government service delivery related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The organization also tests the accuracy of media reports.
The initiative is a joint project of Code for Africa, through its InnovateAFRICA fund, with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie, in partnership with a coalition of African local media and other civic watchdog organizations.
Key points
- The video was actually filmed during a popular uprising in Nepal in September 2025.
- PesaCheck found that the license plates in the video resemble Nepalese license plates, not Malian ones.
- The fact-checking initiative is working with social media platforms to help separate fact from fiction.
