A social media post on TikTok claimed to show the arrival of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi in Goma on October 21, 2026. The video showed Tshisekedi wearing a khaki jacket, walking among a crowd flanked by bodyguards and officials. However, a fact-check by PesaCheck found the claim to be false. The video was actually filmed during Tshisekedi's arrival in Mbuji-Mayi on August 29, 2026.
The false claim was made in a context of heightened political and security tensions in the DRC. Former President Joseph Kabila had recently taken the lead of the Front for Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a new politico-military alliance that includes the March 23 Movement (M23). The M23 had captured the city of Goma, a major town in eastern DRC, on January 29, 2026.
PesaCheck conducted a reverse image search using Yandex and found that the images did not date back to October 2026 and were not taken in North Kivu. The video actually documented Tshisekedi's arrival in Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of the Kasaï-Oriental province. The event was covered by several media outlets, including MediaCongo, the Congolese Press Agency, and 7sur7.cd.
The video published on the presidency's YouTube channel showed Tshisekedi and his wife wearing the same outfit as in the false social media post. PesaCheck's fact-check was part of an ongoing series examining potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms. The organization partnered with Facebook and similar social media platforms to help distinguish facts from fiction.
By providing the public with a deeper understanding and context of the posts they see on their social media feeds, PesaCheck and similar fact-checking organizations aim to combat misinformation. The public can report suspected false information on Facebook, and PesaCheck has a methodology in place to verify doubtful 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 PesaCheck's editor-in-chief, Doreen Wainainah. PesaCheck is an initiative co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein, and is incubated by Code for Africa.
PesaCheck aims to help the public separate fact from fiction in public statements about figures that shape the world, with a focus on public finances and their impact on sustainable development goals such as healthcare, rural development, and access to water and sanitation. The organization also tests the accuracy of media reports.
Key points
- The video was actually filmed during Tshisekedi's arrival in Mbuji-Mayi on August 29, 2026.
- The false claim was made in a context of heightened political and security tensions in the DRC.
- PesaCheck's fact-check was part of an ongoing series examining potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
