Disinformation swirls about missing rebel leader in C. African Republic

BANGUI - The disappearance of a rebel leader in the Central African Republic has led to a surge of contradictory rumours being shared online.

Armel Sayo, a dual French and Centrafrican citizen, is a former minister and head of the armed group Military Coalition for the Salvation of the People and Recovery (CMSPR).

He was arrested in January in connection with several attacks on the army.

Extradited to CAR in May, Sayo was held in Camp de Roux, a high-security military prison in the capital Bangui.

But sometime around mid-July, he was taken out of his prison cell. Since then, his family has not heard from him, nor has his lawyer been able to visit him at the prison.

In CAR, where, according to Human Rights Watch, the government has cracked down on civil society, media, and opposition political parties, the silence around Sayo has many observers worried.

"The family is in distress... We just want to be told the truth," Theodore Sayo, the rebel leader's older brother, told AFP.

Numerous theories about his fate -- many of them contradictory -- are now swirling online.

AI-generated videos

Adding to his family's worries, a video was published online on July 17 showing a man lying in a pool of blood. Several online users claimed it showed Sayo and condemned a potential "assassination".

Meanwhile, others claimed to share proof that Sayo was alive. A poorly edited version of the same video shows the man described as Sayo sitting up from the pool of blood, smiling and waving to the camera. However, the man has three arms and the footage bears the logo of PixVerse, an AI video generator.

Another widely-shared clip shows a wide shot of a man who looks like Sayo in a dark room, wearing fatigues. He is holding a Centrafrican newspaper dated July 18. "Armel Sayo is alive", one user commented, while others called it an obvious fake.

It is difficult to say with certainty whether that clip was AI-generated, because such videos "are getting better and better" in quality, notes Victor Baissait, an expert on AI-generated images.

However, he spotted several clues that it might be fabricated, including the "strangely smooth image", a "zoom characteristic of AI", and a person who is "almost expressionless".

CAR authorities have attempted to reassure the public.

"Mr. Sayo is in good health", said public prosecutor Guy Damanguere, adding that "Armel Sayo is being held in Bangui" and that he met with him on July 17.

The CAR government did not give a reason for why Sayo was taken out of his prison cell, but mentioned new accusations against him.

During a press conference, Communications Minister Maxime Balalou said "compromising documents" that "outlined attack plans" on Bangui were found on Sayo's mobile phone.

False statement

Due to Sayo's double citizenship, the case has reached all the way to the French foreign ministry.

President Faustin-Archange Touadera "personally assured me that Mr. Armel Sayo is alive", Bruno Foucher, France's ambassador to Bangui, told AFP. Foucher said he has requested a consular visit and is now waiting.

None of these official statements has been enough to slow the spread of disinformation.

Among many examples circulating online is a dubious telegram in which Cameroon's President Paul Biya supposedly asked for information about Sayo's health, and a statement attributed to the "Sayo family" condemning "arbitrary arrests".

Sayo's older brother told AFP that statement was fake. His family, awaiting information, has refrained from "any communication on social networks", he said.

Struggling to separate fact from fiction, Elvis Dengossin Matima -- the husband of Sayo's sister, who was also arrested -- has written a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron describing his family's situation.

"We are not reassured at all... We have asked for proof, but they are having trouble providing it", he said.

If Sayo "has been tortured and is still alive, let us bring him food and medicine," said his brother Theodore Sayo.

"If he is really dead, simply bring us his body so we can bury him with dignity."