A Google reverse image search conducted on screenshots from the viral video led to earlier versions posted on Facebook, all shared by users who wrote captions in Arabic.
One of the videos appeared in a Facebook group named “لجيش السوداني” (translated as The Sudanese Army).
One of the captions read;
نظافة ملاقيط ومرتزقة الشتات الانجاس مليشيات النهب والفشل السريع عيال العزبات مصاصي الدماء
مبروك ياشباب لكم التحية ونصر من الله وفتح قريب
The accompanying caption, when translated, praised Sudanese soldiers and insulted opposing forces, describing them as “filthy mercenaries and bloodsuckers” while congratulating the fighters and invoking divine victory.
Another user shared the same video without a caption, but the comments beneath it were filled with messages of support for the Sudanese military. One comment read:
“Peace be upon you, land of Sudan, land of endurance, power, and beauty. May God protect you as you fight the mercenary traitors, and may God strengthen your hand and grant you victory. God willing, El Fasher is free from mercenaries.”
Both posts were uploaded on September 26, and a closer observation of the footage showed Arabic inscriptions on the vehicles and Sudanese flags visible on the soldiers’ uniforms and cars, suggesting that the video originated from Sudan, not Nigeria.
The video appears to depict scenes from the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been locked in a violent power struggle since April 2023. The war has displaced millions and, according to humanitarian organisations, triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Boko Haram taking over Nigerian military barracks is false; the video shows members of the Sudanese Armed Forces, not Boko Haram.
