One of the controversies last week was about mass graves claimed to be found in Wolkait. Amhara Media Corporation (AMC) reported that the University of Gondar found mass graves of ethnic Amharas killed and buried by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since 1982.
It stated that the university was conducting research in the area on the secret prisons belonging to the TPLF and came across mass graves in the vicinity.
Counterclaims came out instantly alleging that the Amhara regional government was clearing the trace of dead bodies of ethnic Tigrayans killed by the government itself. They claimed that this report came amid the decision by the UN to dispatch the independent investigative commission into human rights violations.
The progress and status of the US Congress draft bills on Ethiopia
Last week, media outlets including state-owned ones reported that the American Congress decided to drop the draft bills of S3199 and HR6600.
They claimed that the draft bills were held up because of the humanitarian truce declared by the Ethiopian government and endorsed by TPLF.
However, there were counterclaims that the draft bills were not dropped or held up.
The two draft bills were sent to the US Senate and House of Representatives by respective Foreign Affairs Committees to be voted on.
However, there is no official information from the US government about the current status and progress of these draft bills.
Public spaces being plowed at Lemi Kura
HaqCheck debunked an image-backed false information last week that had been circulating on Facebook.
The Facebook post shared an image and claimed that those who have a special privilege are grabbing land including public spaces in the Lemi Kura sub-city. It stated that the land shown being plowed was a playground (stadium) in Ayat.
However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image used to prove the claim was taken from an old online publication. The image was published for the first time in May 2019 along with an article titled “Addis Ababa’s football fields are being transformed into a farm by those who say they are lords of the time.”
HaqCheck recommends social media users cross-check information, images, videos, and their sources beforehand. They should be skeptical and should avoid sharing social media claims instantly.
HaqCheck urges media outlets to be responsible and abstain from circulating disinformation. This also applies to social media content creators.
The government should ensure open information access and rights. The public and media need to get full access to information. Lack of information fuels disinformation tendencies both online and offline.
The disinformation trend in the Ethiopian social media landscape during the month of March relatively subsided.
HaqCheck identified and fact-checked many claims and controversies. However, most of the issues revolved around armed conflicts and inter-ethnic violence across the country. The armed conflict between the federal government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which started in November 2020 and developments regarding it was the major topic of disinformation on social media.
The process of discussion on the ratification of the two draft bills at the US Congress was another major topic behind the disinformation trend and controversies on social media last month. Many false and misleading claims emerged about the status and ongoing development of the proposed bills.
A new trend of information disorder regarding inflation and increasing cost of living is also evolving recently. For several months, the Ethiopian social media landscape has been solely dominated by issues concerning armed conflict, inter-communal violence, and political instability in the country.
But since recently, the rapidly skyrocketing cost of products has become one topic of social media disinformation and controversy. We observed claims regarding the ongoing galloping inflation and related economic crises trending on social media. Some of them were circulating in satirical forms.
The other information disorder trend was a famine and related social crises in Tigray due to the armed conflict. Some claims and images emerged over the last month.
Other false claims and controversies that appeared on social media during the month of March were mostly one-time issues. They appear and vanish without trending for a long time. For instance, HaqCheck came across false image-related claims on the commemoration of the battle of Adwa, Russia allegedly building a nuclear weapons factory in Ethiopia, Oromos hanged by Emperor Menelik, the appointment of Girma Wake as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, and scams.
Here are briefly presented the false claims and controversial issues that emerged in the Ethiopian social media realm during the month of March.
Russia constructing a nuclear weapon manufacturing facility in Ethiopia
This claim appeared at the beginning of last month amid the Russia-Ukraine war. It signified that Russia is going to construct Africa’s biggest nuclear weapons manufacturing facility in Ethiopia.
The post used a false image to support the information. The image shows heavy missile systems being transported on trailers.
Ethiopia and Russia signed an agreement to develop a nuclear facility for civilian purposes in March 2022. The agreement is about developing a nuclear electric power generation facility and nuclear technologies to be used in other civilian sectors.
However, the post becomes misleading by asserting otherwise that the agreement was about the construction of a nuclear weapons manufacturing facility in Ethiopia.
In support of the claim, the post used an image that shows heavy missile systems being transported on trucks. The image was taken from a video released by China Central Television (CCTV) in Sep 2019. The video shows a military parade on Sept 30, 2019, during the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China since the Communist Party of China took power on Oct 1, 1949.
The missile shown in the image is called DF-5B and is a sophisticated intercontinental ballistic missile.
In light of the actual facts, HaqCheck rated the claim MISLEADING.
Rally made in Chelenqo during the commemoration of the battle of Adwa
A claim appeared reporting that there was a rally in Chelenko to remember the ‘brutality of Menelik’. A Facebook page shared an image titled, “Menelik’s brutality is remembered today at Chelenko”. The post was published on March 2, 2022, the day the 126th victory of Adwa is celebrated in Addis Ababa.
HaqCheck inquired into the image and confirmed that it was taken from an article on the Oromian Economist website published in 2015 with a headline, “The Calanqoo Massacre Memorial Monument Inaugurated on 21st March 2015”.
Thus, HaqCheck rendered the post FALSE.
Gumuz rebels attacking GERD workers
An image-backed post emerged reporting that rebels in Benishangul Gumuz attacked workers of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Facebook post, published on Mar 3, 2022, claimed that the workers were attacked while traveling from the dam to a metropolitan area.
HaqCheck confirmed that the image presented to prove the claim was taken from an old article posted on Sep 1, 2017, with a description that an American journalist named Christopher Allen was shot dead in South Sudan.
Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the post False.
TPLF army marching toward Eritrea
A military standoff among the belligerents of the Tigray conflict was announced recently. In this context, a Facebook post shared an image on Mar 5, 2022, with a claim that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was mobilizing its armed units towards Eritrea.
HaqCheck inspected the image and learned that it was an old picture taken from a Facebook post on Aug 3, 2019. The image shows a military parade in Sawa, Eritrea on August 01, 2019.
HaqCheck confirmed that the image was old and rated the post FALSE.
Procurement of 40 million edible oil from abroad
A controversy regarding the shortage of edible oil and the government’s response was one of the viral issues on social and mainstream media. As a response to the sudden shortage, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced that the government would import 40 million liters of edible oil.
The Ministry of Finance then denied that there was no agreement with anyone to procure the claimed amounts of edible oil. The ministry also confirmed that there was only a study being conducted to solve the shortage of the product.
Amhara militants burnt houses in Oromo Special Zone
A tweet shared an image on March 13 supporting a claim that Amhara militants burned Oromo houses in the Dawa district of Wollo Oromia Special Zone, in Amhara Regional State.
HaqCheck investigated the image and confirmed the image was old and doesn’t show recently burnt houses in Wollo.
The image was taken from a publication made on Dec 23, 2020, in an article about a ‘massacre in the Benishangul Gumuz Regional State’.
Therefore, the claim was rated FALSE.
Oromos hanged by Emperor Menelik ll
A Twitter account shared images on Mar 17, 2022, with an overlay text that reads, “Menelik Genocide on Oromo people 1897 in Finfinnee.”
However, HaqCheck learned that the images were taken from old sources and don’t support the claim.
The first image was taken from an article describing the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The description of the image stated that it shows Ethiopians who resisted the Italian army and were hanged by the Italian soldiers.
The second image was found on a website post about Eritrea’s short history. The website story shows Eritrean People Liberation Front (EPLF) fighters who were hanged by the then Ethiopian military regime, Derg during the Eritrean independence armed struggle.
Accordingly, the claim was rated FALSE.
Drone attack in Shire, Tigray
Among claims of recent drone attacks in Tigray, an image was posted on Facebook on March 04 reporting that a drone strike took place in the town of Shire around 11:20 am amid an alleged secret negotiation.
HaqCheck interrogated the image and found out that it was taken from previous publications. The first image in the post was from an article published about Bayraktar TB2 Tactical UAV on Jan 6, 2021, on a website named Army Technology. The second image was taken from a tweet made on Oct 20, 2021.
Therefore the post was rated FALSE.
Famine and death in Tigray
During the month of March, false images about the famine and death in Tigray were also observed. A tweet made on March 13, 2022, shared an image along with a link to an article that talks about a famine in Tigray. The article quoted a university scholar and stated the number of deaths of thousands in the artificial famine in Tigray.
However, the image was old and taken from a report by Reuters on Sep 9, 2016, about the famine in Yemen.
Thus, HaqCheck rated the image FALSE.
A direct Phone call between PM Abiy and Debretsion
A controversial claim abruptly surfaced on social media platforms in the middle of last month. The claim was first made by Tom Gardner, East Africa correspondent for The Economist. He tweeted that there was a direct phone call between PM Abiy Ahmed and Debretsion Gebremichael, Chairman of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Getachew Reda, a member of the Executive Committee of TPLF rejected that there was no phone conversation between PM Abiy and Debretsion since the beginning of the armed conflict.
Asked by Deutsche Welle (DW), Legesse Tulu, Minister of Government Communication Services denied the claim that PM Abiy and Debretsion talked to each other over the telephone.
In reaction to the journalist’s assertion, the Ethiopian Mass Media Authority issued a warning letter to Tom Gardner accusing him of circulating false information declining the information that there was a direct phone call between leaders of the belligerent parties.
Girma Wake being appointed as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines
A false report by a renowned English press came up after the former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde GebreMariam resigned on Mar 23, 2022.
The report stated that Girma Wake was appointed CEO and Board Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines.
However, on Mar 24, 2022, it was announced that Mesfin Tasew, a former Chief Operating Officer of the airline was appointed as the new CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the claim PARTLY FALSE.
Plane shot down by Eritrean army
Another claim that was fact-checked by HaqCheck was about a plane shot down by the Eritrean army trying to fly through Eritrean airspace from Sudan to Tigray. A picture captioned “Antonov plane that carried weapons from Sudan across Eritrea to Tigray was shot down by an Eritrean anti-aircraft” was shared on Mar 16, 2022.
The image was, however, found in a video on a YouTube channel called AERO press BG on Apr 30, 2013, showing an airplane crash. The video of the incident also appeared on CNN aired on May 2, 2013.
Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the post False.
Scam: Noah Real Estate giving awards
A message was circulating on Telegram claiming that Noah Real Estate was giving awards to Telegram users who would send the message to others. The message on the Telegram channel reads that the real estate was awarding a two-bedroom apartment to those who will share the message to a significant number of users.
HaqCheck talked to the company to prove whether the Telegram channel belongs to it. Noah Real Estate confirmed that the information was false and that it doesn’t have any Telegram channel.
Controversies over the progress of the HR6600 and S3199 draft bills
There were controversies and false claims regarding the draft bills that were proposed against the parties in the Tigray armed conflict with potential sanctions.
HaqCheck observed social media posts claiming that the draft/s were already ratified as law and will be implemented. Some rushed to announce that the proposed bills were vetoed by Russia and China.
The draft bills would be approved and enacted at the national level in the US since they are initiated by bodies of the American government. Russia and China can’t veto them.
The two drafted bills should pass through five stages to become law. The stages are; introduction to Foreign Relations Committees, approval by Senate, approval by House, approval by the President, and becoming law.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SCFR) passed the draft on Mar 29, 2022, to the Senate to be voted on. To be law, this draft bill should be approved by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the US President. The draft bills need a double majority vote, from the Senate and House, to be passed on to the President for final approval.
The draft bill HR6600 was voted on by the House Committee on Foreign Relations (HCFR) and passed to the US House of Representatives on Feb 8, 2022. Similarly, this proposed bill has to be approved by the Representatives, Senators, and the President to be enacted as law.
Thus, HaqCheck learned that these two drafted bills are not yet a law. They are in process and have to pass through three stages; the Senate, the House, and the President to be considered as law and for implementation.
Fresh deployment of Eritrean army on Tigray borders
An image was shared on Facebook along with a post on Mar 26, 2022, captioned, “Following PM Abiy Ahmed’s decision [the humanitarian truce] the Eritrean army deployed 13 modern military divisions to the [Tigray] border.”
The claim came after the federal government and TPLF agreed upon a humanitarian truce.
HaqCheck however searched out the image used to support the claim and confirmed that it was first published on Aug 2, 2019. It showed a military parade of the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) during the Silver Jubilee celebration of the launching of the National Service Program. The day was also marked by the graduation of the 32nd round national service program.
Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the post FALSE.
Recommendation
We recommend the government avail open access of information to the public and media. It should also provide timely and accurate information. Lack of information is the major factor behind massive disinformation dissemination on social media platforms.
HaqCheck urges social media users to cross-check information, images, videos, or claims before they share them with their fellows. They should be skeptical of information whose sources are unknown and should question the authenticity of social media content before they share it with others. They should also be cautious of potential scams and refrain from filling out forms instantly.
We urge social media content creators and outlets to be responsible and abstain from intentionally or unintentionally circulating false information.
HaqCheck always advocates accurate reporting. Media outlets and journalists should conduct thorough research and report the matter fully and correctly to prevent disinformation.
Social media posts and misleading reports are circulating on the media landscape regarding the recent developments of the two draft bills called HR6600 and S3199 proposed to coerce the Ethiopian government to comply with the conditions the United States laid down to end the conflict in Tigray.
HaqCheck observed some false and misleading social media claims and reports on the issue. Some of the posts claimed that the S3199 bill is already approved as law. While others said the HR6600 draft was suspended due to objections from Russia and China.
To mention some instances of these claims and controversies:
S3199 is approved. This law is focused on the arms embargo. And next HR6600 will inevitably be approved.” Link
“The HR6600 that was initiated to kill Ethiopia is dropped because of objections from Russia and China who are always at our rescue in critical times.” Link
“The HR6600 is suspended due to objections from Russia and China.” Link
To begin with, the HR6600 draft bill called Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace, and Democracy Act was introduced on Feb 4, 2022. The proposed bill that was initiated by Bob Menendez, a member of the American Senate, and co-sponsored by US Congressmen Michael McCaul and Gregory Meeks intends to impose sanctions on belligerents to end the armed conflict in Ethiopia’.
The sanctions include blocking of properties, visa restrictions, and prohibition of assistance from the US and international financial institutions.
The other draft bill, S3199 is called Ethiopia Peace and Democracy Promotion Act of 2021 and was introduced on Nov 4, 2021. If ratified as a law, it will impose sanctions on those who would help and provide the parties involved in the armed conflict in northern Ethiopia with weapons or military resources. It proposed that the US government would work to oppose any loan or extension of financial or technical assistance from international institutions to Ethiopia and Eritrea. The bill was proposed by Tom Malinowski, a member of the US House of Representatives.
The proposed bills were topics of discussion and controversies on the Ethiopian social media landscape.
There were campaigns in the US and elsewhere opposing the draft bills and supporting its ratification as well.
The Ethiopian government had been calling for protests in opposition to the proposed bills. Demeke Mekonnen, Foreign Minister and Deputy PM called on the Ethiopian diaspora on Mar 22, 2022, to protest against the drafted HR6600 and S3199 bills.
Spokesperson of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dina Mufti said on Mar 24, 2022, that the Ethiopian diaspora should intensify the protests against the ratification process of the two drafts.
Recently, rallies were held in America, Washington DC protesting against HR6600 and S3199.
In this context, false claims and misleading statements emerged and are being disseminated across the Ethiopian social media landscape.
The first major claim was that the bills were dropped due to the objection from Russia and China. However, the draft bills would be approved and implemented at the national level in the US, since they are initiated by bodies of the American government. Besides, the bills would be enacted unilaterally by the US. They are not sanctions to be decided upon by multilateral institutions such as the UN agencies or multilateral agreements. And Russia and China can not veto them as they only have this power at the UN Security Council.
The second controversial claim regarding the draft bills is that S3199 was recently approved as a law.
The two drafted bills should pass through five stages to become law. The stages are; introduction to Foreign Relations Committees, approval by Senate, approval by House, approval by the President, and becoming law.
If a bill is proposed by a Senate member, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SCFR) votes on and passes it to the full Senate. But if a bill is proposed by a member of the House of Representatives, the House Committee on Foreign Relations (HCFR) votes on and passes it to the full House of Representatives.
The draft bill of S3199 was proposed by a Senator. The SCFR then passed the draft on Mar 29, 2022, to the Senate to be voted on. To be law, this draft bill should be approved by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the US President. The draft bills need a double majority vote, from Senate and House, to be passed on to the President for signature.
On the other hand, the draft bill HR6600 was proposed by a member of the House of Representatives. It was voted on by the HCFR and passed to the US House of Representatives on Feb 8, 2022. Similarly, this proposed bill has to be approved by the Representatives, Senators, and the President to be enacted as law.
Thus, these two drafted bills are not yet law. They are in process and have to pass through three stages; the Senate, the House, and the President to be considered as law and for implementation.
Amhara militants burnt houses in Oromo Special Zone
One of the claims HaqCheck debunked last week was a tweet that Amhara militants set houses belonging to Oromo residents on fire. The tweet shared an image to support the claim that houses were being burnt recently in the Dawa district of Oromia Special Zone, in Wollo.
HaqCheck investigated the image embedded in the tweet and confirmed the image is old and doesn’t show recently burnt houses.
The image is not of a recent incident and was taken from a publication made a year and few months ago. The image appeared on Dec 23, 2020 along a report article regarding a ‘massacre in the Benishangul Gumuz Regional State’.
Therefore, HaqCheck confirmed that the image does not prove the claim and rated it FALSE.
Images claimed to show Oromos hanged by Emperor Menelik ll
A Twitter account with more than 2 thousand followers shared two collaged images on Mar 17, 2022, captioned, “Menelik Genocide on Oromo people 1897 in Finfinnee.”
The images were taken from old publications and don’t support the claim.
The first image was taken from an article describing the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The image was published along with the article written in the Arabic language. The description stated that the image depicts Ethiopians who resisted the Italian army and were hanged by the Italian soldiers.
The second image was found in a website posted in an article about Eritrea’s short history. The caption written for the image in the article stated that the image shows Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) fighters who were hanged by the then Ethiopian military regime, Derg during the Eritrean independence armed struggle.
Therefore, since the images don’t support the claim, HaqCheck rated the tweet FALSE.
Drone strike in Shire
Drone strike claims were observed on social media last week. A Facebook page with more than 21,000 followers posted an image on Mar 04, claiming that a drone strike took place in the town of Shire around 11:20 am during secret peace talks. The post was shared as breaking news. By the time this article was published, the post had more than 1,250 reactions and was shared more than 85 times.
However, the images used in the post were realized to be taken from provisos publications. The first image in the post is taken from an article published about Bayraktar TB2 Tactical UAV on Jan 6, 2021, on a website named Army Technology.
The second image was taken from a tweet made on Oct 20, 2021.
Therefore HaqCheck confirmed that the images in the post don’t support the claim and rated the post FALSE.
Famine and death in Tigray
False images about famine and death in Tigray were also observed on social media last week.
Two tweets, published consecutively in 2 minutes difference on Twitter by an influential Twitter account with more than 225,000 followers on March 13, 2022, were retweeted more than 800 and 1300 times respectively with 88, and 331 quote tweets.
Those who retweeted the posts re-shared the tweet using different captions. The two tweets posted a website link of an article, along with captions, written by the account owner, a popular journalist, and author, on his website. The article story reports the possible death that hit hundreds of thousands in the artificial famine in Tigray quoting a university scholar.
There are reports regarding the famine that has caused many deaths in Tigray. The food shortage in the region has led to starvation with over 5 million people in need of emergency food assistance.
However, Haqcheck has come to realize that the image used to support the linked article on Twitter, is outdated and has nothing to do with the current situation in Ethiopia.
HaqCheck ran reverse image searches on the image and found the same photos in a website published by Reuters on Sep 9, 2016, before the Northern Ethiopia war erupted.
“A malnourished boy lies on a bed at a hospital in the red seaport city of Houdieda, Yemen,” Reuters’s report reads. The image was captured by Abduljabbar Zeyad, the Reuters photographer.
Finally, HaqCheck found out that the image was changed on Mar 21, 2022, by the author.
Therefore, HaqCheck confirmed that the image used to support the claim is old and unrelated to the content, and rated it FALSE.
Recommendation
HaqCheck recommends social media influencers and content creators abstain from intentionally or unintentionally circulating false and controversial information on social media. They should be responsible and aware that their false information may pose online and offline damages.
We recommend foreign journalists to be careful and accurate while reporting. They should not use false images along with news articles.
Social media users should be conscious of the origin and intention of unverified information posted on social media platforms. They should question the authenticity of the information before they read and share it with others.
HaqCheck always advocates access to information be granted to the public and media. The government should make sufficient, timely, and accurate information and updates.
