- August 6, 2024
- Posted by: humanitarianweb
- Category: Humanitarian News
Summary
From April to June 2024, 50 predominantly international aid-related organisations were mentioned in 358 public posts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) in Burkina Faso. The international organisations included 32 aid or development organisations, 11 humanitarian organisations, four UN organisations and one aid donor.
Facebook accounted for 89% of the posts, with local edited media as the main content source, contributing 59%, followed by social media accounts of aid or civil sector networks at 31% and other sources at 10%.
These posts reached an estimated 4.5 million people, averaging 12,500 views per post, and generated nearly 25,000 engagements. Sentiment analysis showed that all posts were either positive or neutral.
However, 9% of the 1,179 comments (i.e. responses to posts) expressed negative sentiments that often stemmed from mistrust and misinformation. Negative comments linked aid organisations to terrorism and the creation of dependency, highlighting the need for aid agencies to address misinformation to maintain the safety and efficacy of aid operations in the region.
Misinformation, disinformation and hate speech targeting NGOs appears to have mostly been disseminated by social media users who seem to hold pro-military and pro-Alliance of Sahel States views. During the examined period these users (all male and located in Burkina Faso) also posted content related to the Burkina Faso military leaders and wider geopolitical concerns, including allegations that aid-related organisations pursued objectives that were described as being against Burkina Faso’s interests or those of its people