Maputo — The Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) claims that the stories circulating on social media claiming that the president of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, has said that the former Mozambican president, Filipe Nyusi, should be imprisoned for crimes committed during his rule are false.
In the alleged message, Traore is cited as criticizing African leaders who use power to enrich themselves at the expense of the suffering of their citizens, and Filipe Nyusi is cited as an example of this type of leadership.
According to the allegation, Ibrahim Traoré claimed that Nyusi should be held accountable for his actions, "encouraging the Mozambican people to fight for their rights, including justice and the restoration of democracy in the country.'
"Although Mozambicans are a resilient people, they need to demonstrate to the world their intolerance of corruption and oppression. While for some, Ibrahim Traoré's alleged statements are an endorsement of the growing popular discontent with the government, which could catalyze new mobilizations, for others it is an intrusion into Mozambique's internal affairs', reads the allegation.
According to MISA, an investigation carried out into this issue shows that the report is false, since no credible media outlet has published it.
"Because of their seriousness, pronouncements of this nature would have featured prominently in the national and international media. Even on the official website of the government of Burkina Faso, there is no publication in this regard. What's more, the website that originally published the allegation in question is of dubious credibility', reads the MISA statement.
According to MISA, the sharing and comment windows on the site in question guides users to gambling websites, "leading one to believe that the publication of bombastic information, such as Ibrahim Traoré's supposed pronouncements against Filipe Nyusi, is just a strategy to attract internet users to games of chance.'
Another concern is that the site removed the publication a few days later.
