World
Sergeant Pena: Pro-AES accounts fabricated a false death in Mali
Pro-AES linked accounts attempted, starting July 9, 2026, to convince the public that Sergeant Pena, a French Legionnaire who died accidentally in the Alps on July 7, had been killed in combat in Mali. The manipulation relied on a photograph of a Russian mercenary killed during the 2024 Battle of Tinzaouatène. RFI and France 24 specialists identified the image's origin through reverse image search. The disinformation did not exceed 50,000 views on X, according to RFI.