Author: Abdi Hirpha

On Feb 7, 2023, a Facebook page with over 290 thousand followers shared three images with a claim that weapons were found in the house of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church leader in Jimma. The first image shows rifles, the second ammunition, and the third is a photo of a person.

The post claimed that the person in the photograph is the deputy chairman of the parish council of a church in Jimma and head of the Jimma branch of Mahbere Kidusan, a religious association within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.

The Facebook post went viral and attained over four hundred engagements on the platform.

However, the images were old and don’t prove the claim. Thus, HaqCheck rendered the claim False.

On Jan 22, 2023, former archbishops of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church appointed bishops without the recognition of the synod of the church.

Abune Sawiros,  Archbishop of South West Shoa, and two others ordained 26 episcopates in Oromia and southern parts of the country. Seventy bishops nominated by Abune Sawiros have been assigned to dioceses in the Oromia regional state.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s Synod immediately convened about the issue and denounced the bishops who participated in the appointment of the breakaway episcopate. The synod excommunicated Abune Sawiros and other bishops for ‘violating the church’s canonical orders’.

A few days later, the breakaway archbishops responded by condemning and excommunicating twelve Ethiopian Orthodox Church archbishops.

Against this backdrop, on Feb 7, 2023, a Facebook post appeared sharing three pictures with a claim that smuggled weapons were found in the house of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church leader who is the deputy chairman of the parish council of a church in Jimma and head of the Jimma branch of Mahbere Kidusanin.

The first two images which were presented as proof of the claim show rifles and ammunition and the third picture is a photograph of a person.

The first picture which shows rifles was published on Oct 30, 2019, by the BBC Afaan Oromo along with a news story that the Ethiopian Customs Commision seized illicit weapons.

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The second image which shows ammunition was taken from a news article published on Oct 7, 2021, by a local media outlet. The news states that illegal weapons were retrieved in the Addis Ketema district of Addis Ababa.

linkTherefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False.

On Jan 27, 2023, a Facebook page, followed by more than two million accounts, shared three images claiming that the residents in many towns in the Oromia region were celebrating the appointment of new bishops.

The Facebook post went viral and gained close to twenty thousand engagements on the platform.

However, HaqCheck inquired about the post and confirmed that two of the three images were old. The two pictures don’t support the claim. As a result, the post was rated Partially False.

On Jan 22, 2023, Abune Sawiros, Archbishop of South West Shoa, along with two archbishops appointed 26 bishops without the recognition of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Seventy of the bishops appointed by Abune Sawiros were announced to be dispatched to churches in the Oromia regional state.

Following this appointment, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church denounced the act. The Church also excommunicated Abune Sawiros and other bishops who co-organized the appointment.

A few days later, the breakaway archbishops denounced and excommunicated twelve archbishops of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They also announced that nominee bishops would soon be dispatched.

Social media reports indicate that the newly appointed bishops were sent to their respective domains and were warmly received by residents.

It is in this context, the Facebook post emerged on Jan 27, 2023, sharing three images with the claim that the residents in many towns in the Oromia region were celebrating the appointment of new bishops.

The images, however, do not support the claim. The first two images in the post were taken from a YouTube video published in February 2020.

The third picture depicts Abune Sawiros who appointed the new bishops. The image was recently posted on Facebook.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False due to the usage of inaccurate images.

On Jan 23, 2023, a Facebook page, followed by more than six thousand users shared a video claiming that houses belonging to ethnic Oromos were torched in an ongoing conflict in the Oromo Special Zone of the Amhara region. The post also claimed that armed militias were killing Oromos and looting houses.

The Facebook post went viral and got many reactions on the platform. 

HaqCheck, however, found out that the image was old and does not support the claim. Therefore, the post was rated False.

Intercommunal conflicts have been recurrently occurring in the Oromo Special zone and the adjacent North Shewa zone in the Amhara regional state.

Recently, social media reports indicate that there was an ongoing conflict in areas of the two volatile zones.

On Jan 24, 2023, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) released a statement stating that there was a coordinated attack by Amhara regional authorities against ethnic Oromos in the Oromo Special zone.

The statement claimed that regional security forces and militias assaulted civilians on Jan 21, 2023, torched houses, and looted properties.

The OLF stated that more than 65 civilians were killed during the ongoing conflict.

It is in this context a Facebook post emerged on Jan 24, 2023, sharing a video that shows torched houses. The post claimed that the video shows Oromo houses being burnt in an ongoing conflict in the Amhara region.

The video, however, does not support the claim. The video was made up of images by converting a picture into a moving image or video.

The image that was used to fabricate the video was taken from an old publication made on Dec 23, 2020.

The original image was published along with a report that many civilians were massacred in the Metekel zone of Benishangul Gumuz.

Therefore, the post was rated False.

On Dec 10, 2022, a Facebook page followed by more than twenty thousand users shared an image claiming that Oromia special police forces and the Oromo Liberation Army torched and looted houses that belong to Amhara residents in the Kamashi zone of the Benishangul Gumuz region.

The post became viral and was shared close to forty times on Facebook.

However, HaqCheck found out that the picture does not support the claim. Thus, the post was rated False.

According to reports, the Ethiopian government and the  Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed organization known as Shene by the government have been fighting.

Widespread instability has been raging across the region and adjacent areas as a result of the armed conflict between the belligerents.

The continuous armed confrontation has claimed the lives of many civilians. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the regional state of Oromia, mainly in Wollega.

The Ethiopian government and Oromia regional authorities blame the Oromo Liberation Army (OLF-Shene), while the armed group accused the government of targeting and killing civilians. Both parties trade blame for the casualties.

Recurrent conflicts and causalities have been occurring in the Kamashi zone of the Benishangul Gumuz. The zone shares borders with the Wollega zones of the Oromia regional state.

An armed conflict was recently reported in Wollega. Many civilians were killed in the latest conflict.

Over 30,000 people, including ethnic Amharas and Oromos, have been displaced as a result of the recent conflict in Wollega.

Against this backdrop, a Facebook post appeared sharing an image that depicts burning houses with a claim that the picture proves that Oromia special police forces and the Oromo Liberation Army torched and looted houses that belong to Amhara residents in the Kamashi zone of the Benishangul Gumuz region.

However, the image doesn’t prove the claim that the houses shown in the picture are Amhara houses recently destroyed by fire by armed forces from Oromia.

HaqCHeck confirmed that the image was taken from an old publication made on Dec 23, 2020. The caption attached to the original picture claimed that the image shows houses burned during a conflict in the Metekel zone of the Benishangul Gumuz.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False.

On Dec 10, 2022, a Facebook page, followed by more than sixty-four thousand users shared an image-backed post claiming that the Oromia regional government was detaining ethnic Amharas in Wollega, Oromia. It added that the people were detained because they clashed with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed group addressed by the government as Shane.

The post was virally circulated on the same platform and was shared over thirty times.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t prove the claim that the Oromia Special Police Force recently detained ethnic Amharas in Wollega. Therefore, the post was rated False.

Reports indicate that the Ethiopian government has been fighting with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed organization known by the government as Shene. A war between the belligerents is raging in the Oromia regional state.

Civilians were reported to have been victims of the ongoing armed conflict. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the Oromia regional state, particularly Wollega.

The government blamed the killings on the OLF-Shene, while the armed group accused the government of targeting and killing civilians.

Addis Standard, a local news outlet, reported that eyewitnesses told it that Amhara regional militia (Fano) killed dozens of civilians in the Kiremu district of the East Wollega zone on November 25 and 29.

Amid the latest conflict in Wollega, over thirty thousand people including ethnic Amharas were displaced.

It was against this backdrop the Facebook post emerged sharing an image with a claim that Oromia regional authorities recently detained Amhara civilians in Wollega.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show ethnic Amharas recently detained by Oromia regional authority in Wollega.

The image was first published on Apr 24, 2020, by the BBC Afaan Oromo and the picture shows Oromia Special Police Force officers detaining Abdo Abba Jobir, a teacher in the Jimma zone.Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the post False.

On Dec 21, 2022, a Facebook page that has more than six thousand followers shared a picture claiming that the Odaa bus was transporting fano militants [to battlefronts in Oromia]. The post sharing a picture that shows a burning bus alleged that the company, Odaa should admit it transported fano militias and apologize to the Oromo people.

However, HaqCheck investigated the claim and confirmed that the image doesn’t prove the claim that Odaa Bus was transporting fano militants. Thus, the post was rated False.

Reports indicate that the Ethiopian government has been fighting with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed organization known by the government as Shene. A war between the belligerents is raging in the Oromia regional state.

Civilians were reported to have been victims of the ongoing armed conflict. Hundreds of people were killed and injured in the Oromia regional state, particularly Wollega.

The government blamed the killings on the OLF-Shene, while the armed group accused the government of targeting and killing civilians.

Addis Standard, a local news outlet, reported that eyewitnesses told it that Amhara regional militia (Fano) killed dozens of civilians in the Kiremu district of the East Wollega zone on November 25 and 29.

It was against this background the claim that the Odaa Bus was transporting fano militants to Oromia emerged on Facebook. The post indirectly implied that the bus shown burning on the picture belong to the Odaa Bus was set on fire in Oromia because the company transported fano militias.

Odaa Bus is a transport company registered under the name of ODAA Integrated Transport Share Company and owned by thousands of stakeholders including public enterprises. The company mainly operates in the Oromia regional state.

HaqCheck looked into the image to verify whether the picture was the claim or not. However, the image doesn’t support the claim that Odaa Bus was transporting fano militias to the Oromia region.

The image that accompanied the post was taken from an old publication. The picture was first posted on Facebook on Feb 18, 2022.

The original description attached to the image alleges that the bus shown was caught on fire and burnt due to an engine failure while on the way from Addis Ababa to Desse. Accordingly, the incident happened in a place called Dhumuga, in Oromo Special zone of Amhara region.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post False due to its usage of an inaccurate image to support the claim.

A Facebook page with over 120 thousand followers posted an image on Dec 5, 2022, claiming that the Ethiopian government conducted an aerial strike, which killed many civilians, in Begi, a place in the West Wollega zone of Oromia region. Besides, it claimed that Oromia Special Police Force members were also attacked in the air strike.

At the moment this article was published, the post was shared close to forty times on the same platform.

Yet, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show a recent air attack the Ethiopian government carried out in the place in the West Wollega zone of Oromia. Thus, the post was rated False.

War has been raging in the Oromia regional state between the Oromo Liberation Army, an armed group addressed by the government as Shene, and the Ethiopian government.

Civilians have been killed in aerial attacks conducted by the Ethiopian government in the Oromia region.

A drone attack the Ethiopian government carried out in the town of Mendi, in the West Wollega zone on Nov 9, 2022, killed at least 20 civilians.

Recently conflict broke out in Wollega, Oromia, particularly in the Amhara-Oromia border areas. Social media posts claimed that many civilians died from violence in the ongoing conflict.

It is within this context a Facebook post emerged sharing an image with a claim that a recent aerial attack by the Ethiopian government in the West Wollega zone of Oromia killed many civilians.

Nonetheless, the image doesn’t support the claim civilians were killed during a recent air attack in the town of Begi.

The image is old and taken from a previous online publication. The image was taken from an article published on a website in November 2015.Therefore, HaqCheck concluded that the image doesn’t prove the claim and rated the post as False.

A Facebook post and a Twitter account respectively on Dec 3 and 4, 2022, shared an image with a claim that it shows dead bodies of recently killed people in Wollega, Oromia. The Facebook post claimed that the victims were ethnic Amharas who live in Wollega while the Twitter post alleged that the victims were Oromo farmers killed by Amhara armed forces in Wollega.

The two posts were viral on the respective platforms and got many reactions.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show people recently killed in Wollega. Therefore, the image-backed claim made on Facebook and Twitter was rated False.

Reports indicate that there has been an armed conflict between the Ethiopian government and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), an armed group that is addressed by the government as Shene.

There were recurrent conflicts and violence in Wollega, Oromia. Many civilians including ethnic Amharas and Oromos were killed in the area.

The government blamed OLF-Shene for the killings while the armed organization accused the government of targeting and killing civilians.

Armed fighting was recently reported along the border areas between the Amhara and Oromia regional states.

Addis Standard, a local news outlet stated on Dec 3, 2022, that Amhara militants (Fano) killed dozens of people in the Kiremu district of the East Wollega zone on Nov 25 and 29, 2022.

It was in this context that the two social media posts emerged on Facebook and Twitter sharing an image with a claim that the picture shows dead bodies of recently killed people in Wollega, Oromia.

The Facebook post alleged that the victims were ethnic Amharas who live in Wollega while the Twitter post claimed that the picture shows Oromo farmers recently killed by Amhara armed forces in Wollega.

Both the Facebook post and the Tweet used the same image to support their respective claims.

However, HaqCheck investigated the claim and confirmed that the image doesn’t belong to ethnic Amhara or Oromos recently killed in Wollega.

The image used to back the opposing claims was old and taken from a social media post made on Sep 20, 2022. It was published along with a short article that alleges ethnic Amharas were being killed in Wollega.Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the claim False.

Two Facebook pages, West Gojjam Communications which has more than fifty-six thousand followers, and ShegerTimes-ሽገር ታይምስ with close to half a million followers shared an image on Nov 28, 2022, claiming that the picture shows a 25-meter tall human skeleton recently excavated in a small village in the West Gojjam zone of Amhara regional state.

The image-backed posts made by the Facebook pages went viral and gained many reactions on the same platform.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show a 25-meter-tall giant human skeleton discovered in the West Gojjam zone of the Amhara region. Therefore, the claim was rated False.

Prehistoric human skeletons and fossils have been excavated in Ethiopia. Archeologists discovered 3.2 million years old pieces of human fossils in a place called Hader in Afar regional state in 1974.

On this basis, a social media claim emerged and alleged that a 25-meter-tall human skeleton was recently discovered near a cemetery in the West Gojjam zone of the Amhara regional state. HaqCheck observed two viral Facebook posts using the same image to support the same claim.

HaqCheck investigated the image that was presented to back the claim. However, the image doesn’t show a 25-meter tall giant human skeleton recently found in the alleged area.

The picture was taken from an online publication made in September 2013. The image shows a giant prehistoric human skeleton excavated in the Sahara Desert in Niger by a scientist named Paul Sereno.

The image was also used in a documentary film named Skeletons Of The Sahara, produced by National Geographic Television.Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the claim False.