An image of a gigantic rock in a shipping container has been shared thousands of times in social media posts claiming that it was delivered to a port in Ivory Coast’s capital Abidjan instead of two vehicles that were ordered online from Dubai. The claim is false: the image shows the minister of mining in Malawi during the interception of a Chinese-bound shipment of quartz rock from the capital Lilongwe.

The image, which shows an open container and three men in suits inspecting the cargo, appears in this Facebook post from Nigeria. It has been shared more than 400 times since publication on November 30, 2021.

“Yesterday morning at Abidjan port,” reads the caption on the photo. “They were waiting for two Toyota Corolla vehicles, bought online from Dubai (sic).”

Social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle revealed that the claim has spread to other African countries, including Kenya, Gambia and Somalia.

But the photo of the rock is unrelated to the Port of Abidjan. Rather, AFP Fact Check found it was taken in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe.

Shipment to China

A reverse image search on Google shows the photo has been circulating online since at least March 2021, accompanying several false claims ranging from dubious vaccine deliveries to Malawi to an illegal shipment from Zimbabwe to China.

But AFP Fact Check traced the photo back to the website of Malawian online media outlet Malawi24 in a report from March 26, 2021, about a rock sample destined for China.

The report further...

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