A claim that there is a recent military coup in Ivory Coast, with alleged reports of gunfire in Abidjan and the likely disappearance of President Alassane Ouattara has circulated online.
The claim, shared by an X user, @VDMEmpire, read:
“Military coup going on in Ivory Coast, Democratic elected President, Allassane Ouattara, might have been k!lled after hundreds of soldiers loyal to him were eliminated in a fierce gun battle”
The post has garnered over 350,000 views with more than 8,000 likes and over 1,500 reposts as of May 23, 2025.
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A similar post was also shared earlier by another X user, @_nonconformist1; thus showing how the narrative has spread. His post read: “Ivory Coast is literally burning. President has gone missing! A coup!”
CLAIM
There is a recent military coup in Ivory Coast.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE, as multiple credible media organisations and an Ivorian journalist debunked the claim.
In recent years, West and Central Africa have witnessed a surge in military coups, shaking regional stability. Since 2020, countries like Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon etc have experienced successful coup d’états, often justified by the military as responses to insecurity, corruption, or governance failures.
These coups have drawn international condemnation but also gained some popular support locally due to growing frustration with civilian governments. The trend has raised concerns about democratic backsliding across the African continent and the weakening of constitutional order.
To verify the claim, our fact-checker independently contacted Mohamed Diarrassi, a journalist with PesaCheck in Ivory Coast, who confirmed that the claim is FALSE. He stressed that multiple news platforms have debunked the claim including a news agency here.
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Additionally, our fact-checker reviewed other credible news outlets and found out that the alleged coup in the West African nation is FALSE, as seen here. A review of the official X handle of President Ouattara showed that the Ivorian president participated actively in the UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Prize Award Ceremony held on Thursday, May 22, 2025, as seen on his X livestream.
Similarly, Liberia Public Radio’s correspondent in Abidjan, Benjamin Tegbeh, confirmed that reports of gunfire and the death of a military general in Ivory Coast were FALSE. He noted that residents were going about their normal activities and that there was no unusual military presence observed in the country.
THE VERDICT
The claim that there is a recent military coup in Ivory Coast is FALSE; multiple media reports and journalists in Abidjan debunked the alleged military coup in the West African nation.
