With his video about a fake coup in France he "earned seven euros" and fame: the 17-year-old Burkinabe high school student who angered Emmanuel Macron says he wanted to earn money, but also to respond with this fake news to the "lies" which he says are circulating about Sahelian countries.

"Coup in France," "protesters gathered to support the colonel who allegedly seized power yesterday," claim four fake French journalists in an AI-generated video.

This fake news, published on December 9 on TikTok and shortly after on Facebook, went viral, with over twelve million views and tens of thousands of "likes".

It was even mentioned on Tuesday by French President Emmanuel Macron himself during an exchange in Marseille, to illustrate and regret his inability to force Facebook to remove it.

Behind this video - since deleted by its creator - is a 17-year-old Burkinabe youth.

When contacted by AFP, he explained that he started creating AI videos "last year" thanks to training on Youtube, and only really launched his business in October 2025.

His sudden fame surprises him. "They're talking about me in France," "I've been contacted by journalists," from the newspaper Le Monde and other media outlets, he laughs in a video posted on his Facebook page.

The teenager, who wishes to remain anonymous, readily admits that his primary goal was financial.

- "Seven euros" –

A student at a vocational high school specializing in civil engineering and construction, he's not exactly in need. "Thank God I have food to eat, I have a way to get to school, and my parents take good care of me," he told AFP. But he wants more, to achieve financial independence.

After seeing "lots of pages getting millions of views" and hearing "that TikTok pays money," he ventured onto social media "just to see." He initially tried motivational videos but quickly abandoned this approach due to a lack of engagement. He then moved on to creating AI-powered fake news, which generates more traffic.

"I haven't made much money this way yet," he says. His Facebook page isn't monetized, but he earns a little money through TikTok. Normally, Africa isn't an eligible region for the platform's monetization program, but he claims to have learned how to get around that.

With his fake news about the alleged coup in France, he claims to have won the staggering sum of... seven euros.

But this video, created from scratch, is primarily a showcase for his own AI-generated content creation training business, which he promotes on his Facebook page.

"Some people approached me after that video, at least five people since last week," he told AFP. He charges 7,000 CFA francs (10 euros) for an hour of lessons.

- No regrets –

France is regularly the target of disinformation, particularly from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. All three countries, led by military leaders who came to power through coups d'état starting in 2020, have since largely distanced themselves from the former colonial power and moved closer to Russia.

The Burkinabe junta, in particular, has also become a specialist in AI-generated propaganda videos, including fake clips of personalities like Beyoncé or Pope Leo XIV singing the praises of its leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

It has a group of highly influential cyberactivists who relay its propaganda on social networks: the "Rapid Intervention Communication Battalions" (BIR-C).

The high school student interviewed by AFP does not belong to this group. But while his primary motivations are far from political, he doesn't hesitate to take a swipe at France in the process.

"I also created this video to scare people," he says. He believes that some French media outlets and political figures are not giving an accurate picture of what is happening in the Sahel and are spreading "fake news," particularly recently regarding Mali, where they described the capital Bamako as being on the verge of falling into the hands of jihadists.

Although the regime has been in difficulty recently, particularly in the face of blockades of its supply routes by jihadists, it has not so far been threatened to the point of being able to fall, according to concordant sources.

The French authorities "do not regret publishing false statements about the AES," accuses the high school student, "so we are not going to regret publishing false things about them!"