Wrong, the images do not show the men in Bangui losing their penises

• For a few days, two images related to the rumors of sexual disappearance have been circulating in Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

• Some Internet users claim that these people are indeed victims of the magic that is currently causing panic in Bangui.

• The images have been shared more than a thousand times on social networks, reinforcing the rumors.

• A reverse image search confirms that these images were not taken in the Central African Republic. Therefore, they are false and taken out of context.

In recent days, two photos have been circulated on Facebook and forwarded in WhatsApp groups, claiming that people in the photos have seen their genitals missing. The images have been shared more than a thousand times, causing panic and fear across the country.

The rumor started in Ndélé last year and quickly spread to the Central African capital, then to Bambari last July, before finally reaching Bangui.

Where do these images come from?

In order to separate fact from fiction, the #StopATènè investigative team of Radio Ndeke Luka was interested in verifying these images using some research tools. After extensive checks on image and video verification tools such as Google Reverse Image, Yandex, TinEye and Lens, everything indicated that these photos were originally posted by Internet users at different times.

Screenshot from August 30, 2024

The first image shows a man with a small penis, although his face does not appear in the photo. The image shows a small penis with the glans folded into the foreskin. While the second shows another person with a pink towel partially covering his private parts. Everything indicates that this is a woman, but with sexual deformity.

We performed a reverse image search using TinEye software and found that the first photo used in the publication was not of a man who had lost his penis, but of a man with genital deformities.

The image was first posted by a Tanzanian internet user named “Fedes Kinunda,” which means: someone with a small penis. The photo was picked up by several other people.

About the second photo

The second photo, in which we partially see the man covering his private parts with a pink towel, is not a photo of another victim of this crazy rumor that has caused Benji to panic.

Screenshot from August 30, 2024

According to the search results, the photo was first posted on a Facebook page called “Serious Bizi” on December 15, 2023. The image has no caption, but is accompanied by a WhatsApp number where the author invites people to contact her. A look at the page in question makes it clear that this is a group dedicated to pornographic content and a desire to have sex with women. There are many similar images on this platform.

So far, or perhaps we haven’t had the chance, we haven’t seen any pictures of the victims of this sexual absence in Bangui.

In conclusion, these images are taken out of context. Always be skeptical before sharing information.

#StopATènè is an organization fighting disinformation and hate speech in the Central African Republic.