There was no coup in Ivory Coast in May, as claimed

A collage of images is being shared on social media with the claim that it shows photos of a recent coup in the Ivory Coast, but there has been no such coup and these photos show other incidents.

The collage includes a photo of a building on fire, a large crowd of protesters and the Ivory Coast’s former president, Henry Konan Bédié, who died in August 2023. Overlaid text on the image says: “ivory coast Coup 19/5/2025 [sic]”.

The image was shared on 22 May with the caption: “BREAKING NEWS There are several reports online about the overthrow of Alassane Ouattara, the President of Ivory Coast, in a coup. MORE UPDATES WILL BE POSTED HERE.”

But there was no coup in the Ivory Coast on 19 May, or in recent months (there was a military coup in 1999 when Mr Bédié was deposed).

The country’s National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) told an Ivorian news organisation that this claim was “completely unfounded”. The country’s President Ouattara has posted on social media many times since 19 May, as well as delivering speeches and performing other presidential duties, including meeting the British ambassador to the Ivory Coast and UK government’s junior minister for Africa.

Moreover, the photos shared weren’t taken in the Ivory Coast last month.

The photo showing a building ablaze is actually of a shopping centre on fire in February in the city of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. According to reports, no one was injured in the fire and only the building’s facade was damaged.

The photo of protesters doesn’t show scenes from Ivory Coast at all—it was actually taken at a demonstration against tax hikes in Nairobi, Kenya, on 25 June 2024. As mentioned, the collage also features a photo of former president Mr Bédié, who served as president between 1993 until 1999, rather than the country’s current President Ouattara, who is referenced in the post’s caption.

President Ouattara has not formally announced whether he will run for a fourth term in Ivory Coast’s upcoming presidential election in October 2025. The main opposition leader, Tidjane Thiam, has been barred from running due to concerns about his citizenship, which he claims is politically motivated, while other opposition figures have also been excluded from the race because of past convictions. An opposition alliance gathered on Sunday (1 June) to denounce the exclusion of political figures from the electoral list, including Tidjane Thiam, and call on President Ouattara to allow the candidacy of all political leaders.

Miscaptioned images are a frequent source of online misinformation. Before sharing content that you see on social media, first consider whether it comes from a trustworthy and reliable source. Our guide to spotting misleading images can help you do this.

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