Fact check: Burkina Faso has ordered the permanent removal of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project.

Verdict: mixed — Trust Score 52/100

This content is cross-checked by 8 sources including the Gates Foundation's own grant database and major news outlets like Reuters and Firstpost. While it is true that the Burkinabè government permanently shut down the high-profile 'Target Malaria' project in August 2025, the post is misleading because it recirculates this year-old event as 'breaking' news in June 2026 and falsely implies the foundation has been entirely removed from the country, despite active grants being recorded as recently as April 2026.

Platform
threads
Source author
jossiemcdun — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.threads.com/@jossiemcdun/post/DZtjJqnFJGR?xmt=AQG0w30SrrHh9XqCTFA6tPw4Mmwi-4HeXVNR5M-UnHc35mrLyHCCzEJ-aMrSxS0IfBETNtSq
Verified on
June 18, 2026
Verification ID
u5vFYdW6nvmR5ECuaIRc_A

Original content reviewed

Platform: THREADS Author: @jossiemcdun --- Caption/Description --- Am glad African is rising up against this human blood 🩸 sucking demon --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- BURKINA FASO HAS ORDERED THE PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE BILL GATES FOUNDATION PROJECT. ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: THREADS Author: @jossiemcdun --- Caption/Description --- Am glad African is rising up against this human blood 🩸 sucking demon --- Visible Text/Media --- Text overlay on screen stating 'BURKINA FASO HAS ORDERED THE PERMANENT REMOVAL OF THE BILL GATES FOUNDATION PROJECT.' --- Claims to Verify --- 1. Burkina Faso has ordered the permanent removal of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project. 2. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was operating a project in Burkina Faso prior to the alleged removal order. --- Verification Focus --- Burkina Faso government Bill Gates Foundation 2024 Burkina Faso expels Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation AP Reuters Burkina Faso ordered permanent removal of Bill Gates Foundation project fact check Snopes PolitiFact Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation BBB complaints gatesfoundation.org Trustpilot reviews

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. mostly true: Burkina Faso has ordered the permanent removal of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project.
    On August 22, 2025, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Higher Education and Research officially terminated the 'Target Malaria' project, a major initiative funded by the Gates Foundation. The government ordered the destruction of all genetically modified mosquito samples and the sealing of research facilities, citing sovereignty and biosafety concerns. However, the claim is slightly misleading as it implies the foundation itself was removed, whereas only specific projects (primarily Target Malaria and
  2. verified: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was operating a project in Burkina Faso prior to the alleged removal order.
    The foundation has funded the 'Target Malaria' consortium in Burkina Faso since 2012, with the first release of genetically modified mosquitoes occurring in 2019. The project was a central part of the foundation's malaria eradication strategy in the region.
  3. false: (Implied) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been entirely removed from Burkina Faso as of June 2026.
    While high-profile biotech and GMO projects were shut down, the foundation remains active in the country. Official records show a grant of $270,574 was committed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as recently as April 2026 for health and epidemiology work.
  4. unverifiable: (Implied) This is a current 'BREAKING' event in June 2026.
    The primary event described (the shutdown of the Gates-funded project) occurred in August 2025. Recirculating this news in June 2026 without clarifying the date is a form of 'stale breaking' news often used to drive engagement through recycled viral content. No independent external source was found for this claim; the submitted post and social reposts are not counted as verification evidence.

Sources consulted (14)

Related verifications

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