For some time now, a video has been going viral on social media, especially on TikTok. This video claims that Senegal has started manufacturing its own fighter jets. In images from a report by a news outlet (France 24), a military aircraft bearing the Senegalese flag is seen, accompanied by a voice stating: “Senegal is entering a new technological era with the local production of warplanes.”
But after using the appropriate tools to check for Fake News, it is clear that this video is a result of digital manipulation, specifically a deepfake. Here is the evidence. Among the telltale signs of a deepfake, there is first the sound. The audio in the video shows several typical signs of a voice synthesis (AI): The voice does not sound like a normal human voice as it is monotonous without natural breathing or intensity variation. Another check with the Indefectible AI Voice Detector of the video’s voice indicated that it is only 17% real. This indicates that the voice is not human and was created to give the impression of an official report.
Analysis of the images
A careful observation of the video’s images also shows several anomalies:
– The metallic texture of the aircraft changes depending on the angles, which does not happen on a real camera;
– The shadows do not match the light source (especially on the fuselage and the ground);
– The Senegal logo on the tail of the aircraft is misaligned and slightly blurry, evidence of a 3D montage.
A check of the video with the Deepware Scanner tool confirmed that it is an artificial intelligence production of the sound at 94%.
According to a Google search of the keywords: “does Senegal currently have an industry that manufactures warplanes?”, Senegal does not have an industry producing warplanes at the moment. Neither the Ministry of Armed Forces, nor the Civil Aviation Authority, nor the Senegalese Industrial Company have announced a program for the production of military aircraft. The only recent partnership involves the purchase of Super Tucano training aircraft from Brazil, not local production.
Verdict
The video is a Deep Fake. The analyses of the sound, image, and context show that it is a video generated by artificial intelligence, accompanied by a synthesized voice. There is no official evidence to confirm that Senegal manufactures fighter jets.
This fact-check was produced by Senenews as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA) incubation program. It was conducted under the sponsorship of PesaCheck, the fact-checking initiative of Code for Africa, with technical support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, funded by the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) and the European Union (EU). AFCA mentoring respects the journalistic independence of researchers, offering them access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains the responsibility of Senenews. Want to learn more? Visit https://factcheck.africa/
