TikTok permanently closed in Guinea: the false press release that made the rounds on social networks

A false press release announcing the permanent closure of TikTok in Guinea has been circulating since July 28, 2026 on social networks. Relayed by several Facebook pages, the document nevertheless presents several anomalies which cast doubt on its authenticity.

A widely relayed publication

Since July 28, 2026, an alleged press release announcing the permanent closure of TikTok in Guinea has been circulating on social networks. Presented as an official document, it was notably relayed by the page Facebook QLF Guinea 224, followed by more than 97,000 people, who put their own logo on the document. However, the publication did not generate the level of engagement to which the page accustomed its audience. Before deletion, it had 135 reactions, 48 ​​comments and 48 shares, as of August 3, 2026 before 6 p.m.

The information was quickly taken up by other pages, notably Guineemacinenews, which has a total of 108,000 subscribers, whose publication had recorded, during our consultation, 421 reactions, 139 comments and 120 shares. It sparked mixed reactions among internet users. “To win the Nobel Prize for comedy, you have to come to my country,” writes Camara Cheick. “It’s 2025 gnè, i keita maden mory. It’s going to be Facebook in 2024,” says Aboubacar Titi Fofana ironically. Others, like Zovis Siafa Guillavogui, on the contrary welcomed what they believed to be a real decision: “Really it's a good decision, how can those who created not use it at home except us? »

Other pages published a slightly different version of the information. Oreilleducampus, a Burkinabè page followed by more than 424,000 people and presenting itself as a university and professional information service, spoke not of a permanent closure, but of a suspension of TikTok in Guinea. “The Tik Tok application is suspended in Guinea until further notice,” the page wrote, quoting Team Guinea, followed by around 785,000 subscribers. The latter had actually published a similar message, presenting the measure as a suspension “ throughout the national territory until further notice ". His publication had garnered 74 “likes” at the time of our consultation.

A real context which fueled the rumor

This circulation occurs in a particular context. On July 28, 2026, restrictions targeting Facebook, YouTube and TikTok in particular were actually observed in Guinea. These disruptions were documented by the Association of Bloggers of Guinea (ABLOGUI) and by other organizations.

This real context was thus able to give more credibility to false information announcing a definitive closure of the platform.

A document full of anomalies

To verify the authenticity of the document, our team examined its content, presentation and institutional references. Several inconsistencies appear from the first reading. The text itself includes a mention of a “fictitious scenario”, hardly compatible with a real press release intended to announce an official decision.

The presentation of the document is also problematic. Its structure does not correspond to that usually used in official communications from the department concerned, and the name of the institution is presented incompletely. The department is officially titled Ministry of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation. However, the alleged press release simply refers to the “Ministry of Communication”.

Another major inconsistency is the name given to the signatory. The document mentions Namandjan Keita, while the department is currently headed by Mourana Soumah, following the last government reshuffle. The document also does not contain any identifiable signature.

Finally, the date appearing on the press release is striking: it is dated July 28, 2025, while the information began to circulate in 2026. This temporal inconsistency constitutes a new indication of its unofficial nature.

Nothing on official channels

Our checks also covered institutional channels. Neither the official Government platforms nor those of the Ministry of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation showed, at the time of our research, a press release announcing the definitive closure of TikTok in Guinea. This observation is important to the extent that a decision of this scope would normally be communicated through authorized institutional channels.

The administrator of QLF Guinea recognizes a “buzz” operation

To understand the origin of the publication, our team contacted one of the pages that relayed the document, QLF Guinea 224. In a telephone interview, then in a written statement sent to our editorial staff on WhatsApp, Moutanga Diallo, administrator of the page, acknowledges that the information on an alleged permanent closure of TikTok was false.

He explains that the publication responded to a desire to generate more engagement around the page, which he believes has been facing visibility restrictions for several months. “ The information regarding the alleged permanent blocking of TikTok was false. This was a communication operation intended to generate more reactions and interactions around our page “, he admits. The administrator also claims to regret the confusion created by this publication and says he wants to clarify the situation with his community.

Concerning the origin of the document, Moutanga Diallo claims, however, that he does not remember the page on which he initially found it. “ I don't remember anymore. I just uploaded the photo to the page, I didn't pay attention to the page, since it was not an official ministry page “, he explains. This claim could not be independently verified by our editorial team, as some pages have since deleted their publications.

The ministry confirms: “It’s a fake”

Our checks were not limited to social media posts. Contacted by our team, the communications manager of the Ministry of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation confirms that the document is not authentic and that the information announcing a permanent closure of TikTok does not come from the department.

Thierno Ousmane Diallo, responsible for communications at the ministry, notes several elements allowing, according to him, to identify the false document. “ It's not authentic. It doesn't come from the Ministry “, he says. He emphasizes in particular the incomplete title of the department, the identity of the alleged signatory as well as the graphic presentation of the document. “ The Minister of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation is Mourana Soumah. On the document, it says Namandjan Keita. It's a fake “, he emphasizes.

The communications manager also recalls that the ministry's official communications are published on its institutional channels. “ Official channels are where we share information. If you don't see it there, that means it's not true. “, he insists.

Verdict: false

Our checks lead to the same conclusion: the document announcing a definitive closure of TikTok in Guinea is a false press release, and the information it conveys is false, since despite access difficulties, Guinean accounts continue to connect to this network. The information site GuineaCheck also examined this information and concluded that it was false.

If disruptions or restrictions of access to certain social platforms were indeed observed in Guinea on July 28, 2026, they do not allow us to conclude an official decision to definitively close, or even suspend, TikTok.

This article was written as part of the Citizen Fact-Check project funded by the Association of Bloggers for Active Citizenship (ABCA) and its partners.