With Léonie Magro Del Baño and Adèle Léron

Misinformation began circulating quietly in the aftermath of the fiercest clashes in Anéfis. By July 9, a deceptive post appeared on X (formerly Twitter), attempting to twist reports of a French soldier’s death in a July 7 training accident in the French Alps. Military officials had identified the deceased as Sergeant Pena, emphasizing his accidental death. Pro-AES accounts seized the opportunity to spread baseless claims, posting: “Other theories circulate, including a possible death in Anéfis, Mali.”

Not a French soldier, but a Wagner mercenary

The disinformation campaign escalated the following day with the release of a photo allegedly showing the death of this French soldier. The image depicts a white soldier lying in the sand, bearing a resemblance to the French serviceman who had died in an accident, whose official portrait had been circulated by French military authorities. Manipulators exploited the soldier’s Russian origins and physical similarities to sow confusion.

When we shared the graphic images from the desert with Sahel specialists, they identified them as footage from the Tinzaouatène conflict, which occurred two years ago in northern Mali. Reverse image searches revealed the same photo of the body, this time presented as a Russian mercenary. The image’s source—a shadowy online forum—lacks verifiable credibility, as users can post anonymously without oversight.

Videos dating back to 2024

Analysis of a six-minute propaganda video released by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad in 2025 revealed the same body image alongside other Russian fighters killed in action. While the footage is blurry, the positioning of the bodies, camouflage patterns on uniforms, facial structure, and haircuts all match.

This disinformation relies on a heavily edited image: an archival photo of Wagner Group mercenaries killed in Tinzaouatène in 2024, not a French soldier allegedly found in Anéfis in 2026.

A flawed disinformation attempt that failed to gain traction

The narrative accusing French troops of collaborating with terrorists is not new. However, this particular attempt at manipulation remained confined to accounts known for spreading Sahelian propaganda and garnered little amplification. Many users openly condemned the deception, signaling the limits of a narrative that has been endlessly repeated for four years.

At this stage, the post has garnered fewer than 50,000 views according to our findings. Nevertheless, it represents an attempt to impersonate a deceased French soldier and constitutes a grave insult to his memory.