HaqCheck came across a Facebook post sharing two images with a claim that Eritrean troops were destroying forests in Adiyabo, a locality in the northwestern zone of Tigray bordered by Eritrea.
The Eritrea Defence Forces, Amhara regional militia, and other armed forces were involved in the war alongside the federal government of Ethiopia against TPLF forces.
The TPLF authorities and media outlets had accused Eritrean troops of atrocities and looting.
Eritrean troops withdrew from major towns in the Tigray regional state and pooled into the border areas after the Ethiopian government and the TPLF signed the peace treaty.
Nonetheless, the TPLF authorities recently stated that Eritrean troops were still in the regional state of Tigray and didn’t fully withdraw.
The claim that Eritrean soldiers were destroying forests in Tigray appeared amid this backdrop.
Yet, the images don’t prove the claim. The first image was posted on March 26, 2019, by Deutsche Welle (DW).
The second picture was published by the BBC News Tigrinya on Mar 27, 2021.
Impersonation of government officials
One of the controversies that appeared in the Ethiopian social media landscape last week was a Twitter account in the name of Alamu Sime, Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics.
The Twitter account which has more than 10 thousand followers makes many controversial comments and posts. But one particular post triggered controversy on social media.
On Mar 3, 2023, the Twitter account wrote, “If you don’t stop the protestation [against the government], you may never see the statue [Menelik II Statue] again.”
The controversial post emerged after a dispute between law enforcement officers and the Adwa Victory Day celebrators broke out on Mar 2, 2023, in Menelik Square.
Nearly 100 thousand users saw the Twitter post and it was shared over two hundred times on the platform.
Later on, it was reported that the Twitter account doesn’t belong to the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends social media users be skeptical of unverified social media accounts and the information and post that came out of these accounts.
The impersonated accounts disseminate potentially false and fraudulent information. Social media users should look for additional information and should avoid hasty reactions.
We urge government offices and other institutions to provide the public with timely updates and clarifications.
Social media content creators should also be responsible and refrain from disseminating false disinformation.
The trend of disinformation across the Ethiopian media landscape
Incidents prompt disinformation
Controversial and false information circulation across the Ethiopian social media landscape follows the events that occurred in the country. Events prompt and provoke false information dissemination.
Most of the false claims that appeared and were debunked by HaqCheck were related to events.
The trend of disinformation across the Ethiopian social and mainstream media landscape increases when incidents related to political and socioeconomic issues happen.
Many false claims, videos, images, and controversies pop up the social media landscapes as soon as incidents are reported. Disinformation dissemination campaigns would be observed.
Below are incidents that occurred and provoked false information circulation during the month of February.
Drought in Oromia and Somali regional states
The Oromia and Somali regional states were hit by a severe drought that had been consecutively happening throughout the last five years.
Particularly the Borana Zone of Oromia was highly affected by drought. The drought exposed eight hundred thousand of residents in the zone to immediate food assistance.
The issue was a major issue of reporting and online discussion. Many social media posts and claims appeared sharing images, videos, and news reports.
The controversy within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The controversy and schism within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church arose after Abune Sawiros, Archbishop of South West Shoa, along with two archbishops ordained and appointed 26 bishops on Jan 22, 2023, without the recognition of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Furthermore, the splinter bishops, citing discriminations within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church against the Oromos and Afaan Oromo ad other languages, announced the establishment of ‘The Synod of Oromia and Ethiopian Nations and Nationalities’.
The Church condemned and excommunicated the bishops.
Consequently, conflict and violence emerged shortly afterward. People were killed and injured due to the conflict.
Later on, the breakaway bishops and the Church signed an agreement on Feb 15, 2023, to settle the problem.
Summary of the debunked claims during the month
Below are the false claims that appeared and were debunked in the month of February.
Eritrean troops were still in Tigray
A Facebook post emerged on Feb 3, 2023, sharing an image with a claim that Eritrean soldiers had not fully withdrawn and were still in northeastern parts of Tigray.
The post used an old image previously published in 2021.
Celebration over the appointment of new bishops in Oromia
A Facebook page shared three images on Jan 27, 2023, claiming that residents of many towns in the Oromia region were celebrating the appointment of new bishops.
The images were taken from a YouTube video published in February 2020.
A church destroyed in Tigray during the war
On Feb 6, 2023, a Facebook post shared an image claiming that the picture shows a church destroyed in Tigray during the war between the Ethiopian government and TPLF forces.
The image really shows a church destroyed in the town of Adi Keyh, Eritrea during the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The picture was taken from a video published by Reuters in April 1999.
Weapons found at an Orthodox church in Shashemene
A claim appeared on Facebook sharing an image that smuggled weapons were found inside the premises of an Orthodox Church in Shashemene.
The same image was previously shared on Facebook on Mar 15, 2021, with a description that the Ethiopian Federal Police seized illicit weapons and ammunition in the Sidama regional state.
Smuggled weapons discovered at Abune Abraham’s house
A Twitter post shared three images with a claim that illegal rifles and ammunition were discovered in the house of Abune Abraham, Archbishop of Bahir Dar and head of the Patriarchate Office of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The post claimed that police retrieved five Kalashnikov rifles with 235 bullets during a search.
The first image was published on a website that advertises luxury hotels in Addis Ababa. The second picture was published by a news site on September 30, 2020, in a report that India signed a deal with Russia to procure 770,000 Kalashnikov rifles.
Illicit weapons uncovered at the house of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church leader in Jimma
A Facebook page with over 290 thousand followers shared three images claiming that illegal weapons were found at 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.
However, the images were taken from old publications. 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.
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.
Recommendations
Haqcheck urges social media users to be skeptical of potentially misleading and fraudulent posts. They should look for additional sources of information before reacting to claims and posts.
We advise public institutions and other concerned entities to give information on a timely basis and clarifications. They should act before damages occur.
Social media content creators are recommended to be responsible and avoid disseminating false and misleading information.
The realization of access to information is the key to combatting disinformation. The lack of information prompts disinformation circulation at a great scale. Government and other organizations work to secure the right of citizens and the media to get access to information.
The controversies HaqCheck observed surfacing the Ethiopian social media landscape were related to the schism within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Controversies arose regarding how the problem was solved and the status of the breakaway synod led by Abune Sawiros. Reports and claims that the breakaway bishops apologized to the Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church while others stated that the bishops had not apologized and the matter was settled through negotiation.
HaqCheck looked into the issue that how was the controversy within the Church settled and what the statements of the deal were signed to solve the schism.
The Background
On Jan 22, 2023, Abune Sawiros, Archbishop of South West Shoa, ordained and appointed 26 bishops without the recognition of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.
Seventy bishops nominated by Abune Sawiros have been assigned to dioceses in the Oromia regional state.
The breakaway bishops led by Abune Sawiros announced they established the ‘Synod of Oromia and Ethiopian Nations and Nationalities’.
The breakaway bishops cited discriminations within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church against the Oromos and Afaan Oromo language for the establishment of their synod.
This arose intense controversy and tension within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
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.
On Feb 15, 2023, the breakaway bishops and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Synod signed an agreement to settle the problem. An agreement was reached with the mediation of the Ethiopian government and the pact was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.).
Terms of the agreement
The bishops agreed to use of Afaan Oromoo language in all churches across Oromia.
They also agreed to allocate a budget for the enhancement of the use of the Afaan Oromo Language and expand the human resources in the Oromia regional state so that clergies who speak the language could be dispatched.
The deal states that the Church agreed to open universities and colleges that teach theology in Afaan Oromo, to appoint bishops who speak the language of Oromia dioceses.
The breakaway bishops held a meeting after the deal was signed and stated that they accept the agreement. They stated that they didn’t violate the canonical law of the Church when they ordain bishops and form a synod a month earlier.
The Church gave a briefing that the breakaway bishops were still violating the laws of the Church even after the deal was signed.
A day later, they both announced that they would comply with the agreement signed on Feb 15, 2023.
Recommendations
We recommend social media users be cautious of potentially misleading and fraudulent posts and look for additional sources of information before reacting.
Public offices are urged to provide sufficient and timely information about current events and issues. The media and the public should enjoy the right to access information.
HaqCheck urges social media content creators to be responsible and refrain from becoming agents of disinformation.
The false claims and controversies during the week were regarding the schism within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and related conflict.
HaqCheck observed that the trend of disinformation had intensified during the week. Many false images were shared to support claims. Most of the claims accompanied by false images and debunked by HaqCheck were regarding the holding and discovery of smuggled weapons at Church leaders’ houses.
Below are the claims HaqCheck debunked in the second week of February 2023.
A church destroyed in Tigray during the war
On Feb 6, 2023, a Facebook post shared an image claiming that the picture shows a church destroyed in Tigray during the war between the Ethiopian government and TPLF forces. The Facebook claim alleged that the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church was a collaborator when churches were destroyed in Tigray during the war.
Days after the war broke out between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church expressed its support for the Ethiopian armed forces on Nov 17, 2020.
News reports indicate that churches were damaged in Tigray regional state during the armed conflict.
The Facebook post emerged amid intense tension within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church after Abune Sawiros, Archbishop of South West Shoa, ordained and appointed 26 bishops without the recognition of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church on Jan 22, 2023.
Yet, HaqCheck confirmed that the image was old and doesn’t support the claim that it shows a church destroyed in Tigray during the recent war.
The image shows a church destroyed in the town of Adi Keyh, Eritrea during the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The picture was taken from a video published by Reuters in April 1999.
Weapons found at an Orthodox church in Shashemene
HaqCheck came across a Facebook post sharing an image with a claim that smuggled weapons were found inside the premises of an Orthodox Church in Shashemene.
However, the picture was old and published two years ago. The image was previously shared on Facebook on Mar 15, 2021. It was shared with a description that the Ethiopian Federal Police seized illicit weapons and ammunition in the Sidama regional state.
Smuggled weapons discovered at Abune Abraham’s house
A viral Twitter post appeared on Feb 5, 2023, sharing three images with a claim that illegal rifles and ammunition were discovered in the house of Abune Abraham, Archbishop of Bahir Dar and head of the Patriarchate Office of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The post claimed that police retrieved five Kalashnikov rifles with 235 bullets during a search.
However, the pictures were old and don’t support the claim. The first image was published on a website that advertises luxury hotels in Addis Ababa. The website claims that the image is of a hotel in Bole named Sheger Royal.
The second picture was published by a news site on September 30, 2020, in a report that India signed a deal with Russia to procure 770,000 Kalashnikov rifles. The third image shows Abune Abraham.
Illicit weapons uncovered at the house of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church leader in Jimma
A Facebook page with over 290 thousand followers shared three images on Feb 7, 2023, claiming that illegal weapons were found at 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 local church in Jimma and head of the Jimma branch of Mahbere Kidusan, a religious association within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.
However, the images were taken from old publications. 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.
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.
Recommendations
HaqCheck advises social media users to be cautious incase they encounter potentially misleading posts. They should quest sufficient and accurate information before reacting to claims and posts.
Public offices and other institutions are urged to provide the media and the general public with sufficient and timely updates regarding ongoing public matters.
The government and other relevant organizations should work towards the realization of the right of citizens and the media to access information.
Social media content creators should be responsible and refrain from making and disseminating false and misleading information.
The peace agreement between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF in November 2022 concluded the war that broke out exactly two years ago.
The Eritrea Defence Forces, Amhara regional militia, and other armed forces had been involved in the war alongside the federal government of Ethiopia against TPLF forces.
The peace agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa asserts that TPLF forces shall surrender their weapons and foreign and non-ENDF armed forces to leave the regional state of Tigray.
The Ethiopian government and the TPLF agreed that the disarmament of heavy weapons of the TPLF should be done concurrently with the withdrawal of Eritrean and non-ENDF forces from the Tigray.
Recent news reports indicate that Eritrean soldiers started withdrawing from Tigray last month. They left the towns of Aksum, Adwa, and Shire. Additionally, Amhara regional armed forces also reportedly left Shire town.
Yet, it is still unknown whether the non-ENDF and Eritrean troops have fully withdrawn from the Tigray regional state.
Against this backdrop, a Facebook post emerged on Feb 3, 2023, sharing an image with a claim that Eritrean soldiers had not fully withdrawn and were still in northeastern parts of Tigray.
Yet, the image was old and taken from a publication made in May 2021. The picture was first published along with a news story by CNN.
Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the post False.
Celebration over the appointment of new bishops in Oromia
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 announced that nominee bishops would soon be dispatched to various parishes in Oromia.
Social media reports indicate that the newly appointed bishops were sent to their respective domains and were warmly received by residents.
In this context, the Facebook page followed by over two million accounts shared three images on Jan 27, 2023, claiming that residents of 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.
Recommendations
Social media users are recommended to be skeptical of potentially misleading and fraudulent posts. They should look for additional information before reacting.
HaqCheck urges public offices and other institutions to offer sufficient and timely updates regarding ongoing issues that are of public interest.
The government should secure the right of citizens and the media to access information.
We recommend social media content creators be responsible and avoid circulating false and misleading information.
Almost all the social media false claims debunked by HaqCheck last week were related to an ongoing conflict in the Oromo Special and North Shewa zones of the Amhara regional state.
The Ethiopian social media landscape is always dominated by posts related to ongoing incidents. Media reports indicate that there was an ongoing conflict in the North Shewa and the Oromo Special zones of the Amhara regional state.
Thus, the claims and controversies during the week were mostly related to the looming conflict in the areas of the two zones which are characterized by ethnic and religious diversity.
HaqCheck did three fact-checking articles last week. A summary of the issues is presented below.
A video of torched Oromo houses
On Jan 23, 2023, a video was shared by a Facebook page with more than six thousand followers claiming that houses belonging to ethnic Oromos were torched in an ongoing conflict in the Oromo Special Zone of the Amhara region.
The claim emerged amid surfacing social media reports that there was an ongoing conflict in areas of the two volatile zones. 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 original image 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.
A false image of a recent conflict in Ataye town, Amhara region
An image was shared on Facebook with a claim that the picture shows an ongoing violent conflict in the town of Ataye, Amhara regional state. The image was posted along with two others on Facebook on Jan 24, 2023, by a page that has over five thousand followers.
The same image was also shared in another Facebook post with the same claim that it shows an ongoing conflict in Ataye.
The posts by the Facebook pages with over five thousand followers each are expected to reach many audiences.
Yet, HaqCheck confirmed that the image was old and doesn’t show an ongoing conflict in the area. However, HaqCheck investigated the claim and confirmed that the image was old.
The original picture was first published on Facebook in April 2019 with a caption that the image shows a church destroyed by fire in the town of Ataye at that time.
Therefore, the claim was rated False.
OLA militants attacked police officers in Jewha, Amhara regional state
Oromo Liberation Army militants opened a sudden attack on a camp and killed more than 20 police officers during an ongoing conflict in Jewha town, Amhara regional state, claimed a Facebook post made on Jan 22, 2023. The claim was backed with an image.
The claim was made in the context of the ongoing conflict in the area. However, HaqCheck investigated the image and confirmed that the image used to support the claim was old.
The image was originally published on a website on March 20, 2021, along with a short news story.
Thus, HaqCheck rated the post as False.
Recommendations
HaqCheck urges social media content creators and influencers to be responsible and avoid disseminating false information.
We recommend social media users be cautious and look for additional sources for misleading and controversial claims.
The government and public offices are recommended to provide updates and sufficient information about ongoing public matters.
The disinformation trend intensified whenever the conflict intensified. The Ethiopian social media landscape was highly dominated by false and misleading claims related solely to the armed conflict between the federal government and the TPLF. Due to the war, other issues such as conflict and violence in other parts of the country, or controversies related to issues other than conflict gained little attention.
The disinformation trend had been prompted by the war. Many false claims appeared when there was ongoing fighting or standoff. Organized campaigns were made on social media by supporters and sympathizers of the belligerents. These organized social media campaigns, often employing copy and paste and tagging tactics had a significant effect in unleashing false claims and controversies.
HaqCheck did not debunk claims during the third week of January 2023. However, we observed controversies looming across the Ethiopian social media landscape.
Below are some of the controversies that appeared last week.
Withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers from Tigray
One of the controversies that emerged last week was the status of Eritrean soldiers in the Tigray region. Controversy about whether Eritrean troops were leaving Tigray was observed on the Ethiopian social media landscape.
International media outlets such as the Associated Press reported that Eritrean troops started withdrawing from Tigray.
The peace deal between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF says that foreign and non-ENDF forces should withdraw from Tigray concurrently with the disarmament of TPLF’s heavy weapons.
The United States and some European countries repeatedly said that Eritrean troops should leave the Tigray region.
Last week, Olusegun Obasanjo told the Financial Times that Eritrean soldiers were at the border. TPLF leaders, Getachew Reda and Kindeya Gebrehiwot wrote on their Twitter pages that Eritrean troops had not left the regional state and were still in Tigray.
Later, the news that Eritrean soldiers were seen leaving Tigray regional state towns such as Shire and Aksum came out at the end of last week.
Controversy followed the information. Many social media posts appeared claiming that the information was false and that Eritrean soldiers were still in Tigray.
HaqCheck observed many social media posts mainly written in Tigrinya that Eritrean soldiers had not started leaving the Tigray regional state.
TPLF suspended top party leaders
A Facebook page with over one million and seven hundred thousand followers published a news article stating that the TPLF suspended five Executive Committee members during a recent meeting. The Facebook post attracted thousands of engagements and controversy across social media platforms.
According to the information, the top party leaders who were suspended were Debretsion Gebremichael, Fetlewerk Gebregziabher, Getachew Assefa, Alem Gebrewahd, and Getachew Reda.
The claim prompted social media controversy. Kindeya Gebrehiwot, a member of the TPLF Executive Committee denied the claim on his Twitter page.
Recommendations
We urge social media users to be skeptical and cross-check potentially misleading claims. They should look for additional sources for claims before reacting or before sharing them with others.
HaqCheck recommends social media content creators and influencers be responsible and refrain from circulating false and misleading information on social media.
Government offices and other eligible entities are recommended to offer timely information to the media and the public.
We urge the government and civil organizations to help realize the right of citizens to have access to information.
Ethiopia to launch a second earth observation satellite into orbit
One of the false claims HaqCheck debunked during the week was a news story published by state-affiliated media outlets that Ethiopia was preparing to launch its ‘second’ satellite into orbit.
The Facebook posts by the two pages were shared half a thousand times and got close to ten thousand reactions.
However, Ethiopia launched the second satellite into orbit two years ago.
The second Ethiopian satellite named ET-Smart-RSS was launched from China’s Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in December 2020.
The first remote-sensing satellite was constructed and launched from China in December 2019.
Yeshurun Alemayehu (PhD), Deputy Director of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) told HaqCheck that the country already launched two satellites and will launch a third soon.
Properties recently looted from Tigray
A claim sharing images was made on Twitter that Eritrean soldiers were looting properties in Tigray.
The tweet was viral and shared many times on the platform.
Yet, the image used to support the claim was old. The picture was first published on Facebook on April 21, 2022. The description of the original image states that the picture shows looted properties being transported from Humera to Gondar at the time.
HaqCheck came across a Facebook post claiming that former ambassador Mesganu Arega was appointed as Ethiopian Foreign Minister by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replacing incumbent Demeke Mekonnen.
The post was later edited and stated that the former ambassador was appointed as Ethiopia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
However, Ambassador Mesganu Arega was appointed neither a Minister of Foreign Affairs nor a Deputy of Foreign Affairs Minister.
He was named by the Prime Minister as a state minister of the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
We urge social media users to be attentive and cross-check the authenticity of the information they encounter before they share it with others.
Social media influencers and content creators are recommended to abstain from disseminating false and controversial information on social media platforms.
HaqCheck recommends public offices provide timely updates to the public and the media. Disinformation is intensified when there is a lack of sufficient information.
The media and the general public should enjoy the right to access information.
The trend of the Ethiopian social media landscape was dominated by claims related to conflict and violence in Oromia regional state during the first week of January.
HaqCheck observed many images with claims that houses were being demolished in Addis Ababa. But we couldn’t confirm any of the images.
Below are the false claims that circulated on the Ethiopian social media landscape during the week.
An altered image that the Oromo Liberation Army preparing to attack Amhara civilians in Wollega
Two Facebook pages shared an image on Dec 10, 2022, claiming that the Oromo Liberation Front [Army] along with the Oromia Special Police Force was preparing to attack Amhara civilians in Wollega.
The Facebook posts went viral on the platform and gained many reactions. They were shared over two hundred fifty times on Facebook.
The Facebook posts used a fabricated image that is made up of two different images. An image that allegedly shows Kumsa Diriba, the commander of the OLA was amalgamated and photoshopped into another image.
However, HaqCheck couldn’t confirm whether the second image was true or false.
A false image of Amharas recently executed in Oromia
A photo was shared on Facebook on Dec 5, 2022, with a claim that the picture shows ethnic Amharas recently executed in the Oromia region. The post claimed that genocide was being committed against ethnic Amharas in Wollega of the Oromia region.
Yet, HaqCheck confirmed that the picture was old and was previously published in August 2020.
The image was first published by a Somali news website. The description of the original picture states that the image shows two Somali soldiers publicly executed for allegedly raping a 10-years old boy in Baidoa, a city in the South West region of Somalia.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post False for using an inaccurate image to support the claim.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends social media users be skeptical and always look for additional information for a potentially misleading claim. They should cross-check controversial claims they encounter on social media platforms.
Government authorities and other agencies are urged to provide timely and sufficient information regarding ongoing public affairs.
The lack of access to information is among the main factors behind disinformation dissemination. Government and other organizations should guarantee the right of citizens and the media to have access to information.
