Fact-check: Video from Niger falsely presented as killing of Baloch shepherd
The footage was recorded in Niger in May 2020 during military operations against Boko Haram
Updated Tuesday Sep 22 2026
A video being shared on Pakistani social media shows a man being run over by a military vehicle. Users claim the footage shows a Baloch shepherd being killed by Pakistani soldiers in Balochistan.
The claim is false. The footage was recorded in Niger, not Pakistan.
Claim
On August 30, a user shared a 30-second video clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing a man running before being run over by a military vehicle.
The video was shared with the caption: “A video is being widely circulated on social media in which a Baloch shepherd is grazing his goats in the desert, but he is surrounded by Pakistani soldiers, first shot at, and then run over by a tank, as a result of which the man loses his life.”
At the time of writing, the post had been viewed 69,900 times, liked 512 times and reshared 327 times.
Identical posts have been shared elsewhere on X.
Fact
The video was recorded in Niger and has no link to Balochistan.
In June 2020, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international nonprofit organisation, published a screenshot from the video on its website. HRW said the footage appeared to have been recorded during Nigerien military operations against Boko Haram in the Diffa region of southeastern Niger on May 11, 2020. The organisation said it could not determine the exact location of the incident.
The report can be read here.
The video was also shared in 2020 by Sahara TV, an Africa-focused broadcaster, with the title: “Nigerien army ambush Boko Haram terrorist, run him over with armoured personnel carrier.”
Trigger warning: This video contains footage that may be distressing to some viewers.
The video can be seen here.
Verdict: The viral video does not show a Baloch shepherd being killed by Pakistani soldiers in Balochistan. The footage was recorded in Niger in May 2020 during military operations against Boko Haram, according to Human Rights Watch.
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