A video showing oil bubbling up from the ground in a desert area has been widely shared online, with users falsely claiming it shows a major oil discovery in Niger. Some social media users further claimed that this was the reason Western countries wanted to reverse the recent military takeover, allegedly to exert control over Niger and its resources.

Niger currently produces around 20,000 barrels of oil per day.

But the video is not from Niger, and comes from Libya. We found that the earliest version was from an account which posted it on TikTok two weeks ago, saying it was in southern Libya. It has had millions of views.

This same TikTok account has posted other videos showing vehicles with Libyan licence plates, further evidence of the likely location. They have also posted a different video showing a similar oil leak from the ground, again with the text saying it’s from southern Libya.

This video only started being linked to events in Niger in the last week or so, by an account openly supporting the military leaders there. President Mohamed Bazoum was a key ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in West Africa, and European countries and the US have condemned his overthrow.

Source: BBC