A viral Facebook post was made on Nov 18, 2022, sharing four images. The post claimed that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was burying [hiding] weapons and ammunition. It was shared close to one hundred times.
However, HaqCheck confirmed that the images don’t prove the claim and rated the post as False.
The Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF had been fighting a two years war that started on Nov 3, 2022.
They agreed to a humanitarian truce at the end of the month of March 2022. However, fighting resumed between the belligerents in August.
Reports indicated that there were informal talks between the TPLF and the Ethiopian federal government to solve the war in a peaceful manner.
Finally, they signed a peace deal dubbed ‘Agreement for lasting peace through a permanent cessation of hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)’ on Nov 2, 2022.
According to the deal, TPLF agreed to surrender its weapons to the Ethiopian government and a transitional government to be installed in Mekelle until a regional election is conducted
After the peace agreement was signed, there were social media claims that TPLF was hiding weapons and preparing for another fight with the Ethiopian government.
Against this backdrop, a Facebook post came out sharing four images with a claim that the TPLF was burying its weapons and ammunition.
However, HaqCheck confirmed that the images don’t prove the claim. They are old and taken from other publications.
The first image was taken from a website that claims to belong to a truck cabins manufacturer company located in central China. The description states that the picture shows underground LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tanks produced by the manufacturer.
The second picture is of a surviving World War II tank which was buried under three meters of clay and was dug up in May 2017.
The third image was first published by Reuters on Jul 27, 2021, and shows abandoned ammunition boxes after a battle between the Ethiopian government and TPLF forces in Tigray.
The fourth picture was published by the New York Times on Jul 11, 2021, and it claimed the image shows munitions and an upturned truck abandoned by the Ethiopian military after an ambush south of Mekelle.Thus, the post was rated False because it used inaccurate pictures to support the claim.
The trend of social media disinformation dissemination has exceptionally decreased since the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a peace agreement at the beginning of this month.
The belligerents signed a peace deal dubbed ‘Agreement for lasting peace through a permanent cessation of hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)’ on Nov 2, 2022. According to the agreement, TPLF agreed to disarm and a transitional government to be installed in Mekelle until a regional election is conducted.
The attention that had been given to the armed conflict between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government seems to shift to other issues such as the insurgency in the Oromia regional state.
HaqCheck tracked and debunked a few false social media posts in the first two weeks of November.
A false image representation of a palace being built in Addis Ababa
On November 1, 2022, a Facebook page shared a picture claiming it shows a new palace being built in the capital. However, the image was taken from another place and doesn’t show the new palace that is under construction.
The construction of a new palace under the name of ‘Chaka Project’ recently started with around one billion US dollars. Prime Minister Abiy also confirmed the launch of the project and said it is a satellite town.
However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show the new palace currently under construction. Thus, the post was rated False.
The picture was taken from a website post made twelve years ago. The description of the original image states that it was an architectural design of a hotel built in Moscow, Russia.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post False due to its usage of an inaccurate image.
Aerial attack in Wollega, Oromia
A Twitter account with over a thousand followers shared two pictures and a cartoon image on Nov 8, 2022, claiming that the images show a recent aerial strike in the town of Mendi, in Wallagga, Oromia. The tweet was shared many times and got close to two hundred reactions on the platform.
However, HaqCheck cross-checked the images and confirmed that the images don’t support the claim.
The first picture was taken from a Facebook post made on Jan 18, 2020. The post claimed that it shows a Uzbekistani fighter jet conducting an exercise.
But, HaqCheck could not verify whether the second picture is old or new. The picture is taken from a video clip that was recently circulating on Twitter.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the Twitter post Partly False due to its usage of an inaccurate image.
Recommendations
We recommend social media users be skeptical and look for additional sources for controversial information they encounter. They should cross-check unconfirmed claims and look for original sources of the information.
HaqCheck urges the Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF to give updates regarding the talks ongoing to implement the peace deal. They should provide regular joint and unilateral briefings on ongoing issues related to the implementation of the agreement.
The government and other relevant bodies are recommended to ensure full access to information for the sake of the common good.
A Twitter account with over a thousand followers shared two pictures and a cartoon image on Nov 8, 2022, claiming that the images show a recent aerial strike in the town of Mendi, in Wallagga, Oromia. The tweet was shared many times and got close to two hundred reactions on the platform.
However, HaqCheck cross-checked the authenticity of the pictures and confirmed that the images don’t prove the claim. Thus, the post was rated Partly False.
There has been an armed conflict between the Ethiopian federal government and the Oromo Liberation Army, commonly known by the government as Shane in the Oromia regional state.
News reports indicate that there was an ongoing fighting between the belligerents in Oromia region since recently.
Media outlets reported that there was an airstrike on Nov 9, 2022 by the Ethiopian government in the town of Mendi, Oromia. As a result many civilians were killed during the aerial attack.
Against this backdrop, a Twitter post came out on Nov 9, 2022 sharing two pictures and a cartoon image with a claim that a recent drone attack killed civilians in Mendi town of Oromia.
However, HaqCheck cross-checked the images and confirmed that the images don’t support the claim.
The first picture was taken from a Facebook post made on Jan 18, 2020. The post claimed that it shows an Uzbekistani fighter jet conducting exercise.
But, HaqCheck could not verify whether the second picture is old or new. The picture is taken from a video clip that was recently circulating on Twitter.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the Twitter post Partly False due to its usage of an inaccurate image.
A Twitter account shared a post on Oct 25, 2022, captioned “In a sign of relief and professional capacity, ENDF has been pre-planning, massive POW surrender & disarm centers throughout Tigray region. These are places where TPLF rebels can disarm their weapons, get registered, and be treated with humility.”
By the time this article is published the post had been retweeted more than 120times and had more than 200 reactions.
However, HaqCheck examined the image and rendered it False.
Fighting between the Ethiopian government and TPLF forces resumed after a cessation of hostilities was declared on Mar 24, 2022.
There were different alleged claims that there were informal phone calls between the two leaders, which later both TPLF and the Federal government denied. But later the first formal peace talk was held in South Africa, Pretoria on Oct 25, 2022.
On Nov 2, 2022, the official peace deal between the two belligerent parties was signed in South Africa.
One of the conditions dealt with in the peace accord was the disarmament of Tigrayan forces. The post is thus produced in this context.
In an effort of verifying the image, Haqcheck used a google reverse image search and found the picture previously posted on Getty Images captioned, “Children and members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (DFLR) rebel group stand in front of weapons during an arms surrender ceremony, in Kateku, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 30, 2014. More than 100 armed Rwandan rebels from a group linked to the 1994 genocide in their homeland turned themselves in on May 30 in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a decision welcomed by the UN.”
Link Therefore due to its use of the wrong picture to support the claim, HaqCheck rendered the image False.
A Twitter account with more than 36 thousand followers shared a post on Oct 25, 2022, captioned “The TPLF negotiating team remains in a hospital in South Africa. As for Mekelle airport, it is under the control of ENDF.”
By the time this article is published the post had been retweeted more than 470 times and had more than a thousand reactions.
However, HaqCheck inspected the image and rendered it False.
There are different claims that the federal forces are advancing toward Tigray’s capital city Mekelle and are about to control the Alula Aba Nega Airport in Mekelle.
On Oct 25, 2022, The FDRE defense forces announced that because of the action taken on the forces of the rebels, militants of TPLF are surrendering and dispersing at all fronts.
In an effort to verify the image-backed claim, HaqCheck found the picture on a Twitter account with more than 38 thousand followers. it was shared with other images on June 24, 2022, captioned “The civil aviation, Ethiopian Airlines – supporting mass murder, mass rape, ethnic cleansing, destruction & forced starvation. Fully involved in the Tigray Genocide transporting troops, weapons & logistics.”
Even though there are several claims that the Federal forces are about to control the capital city of Tigray Mekelle, the image used by the Twitter account is found to be wrong. Hence, HaqCheck inspected the post and rendered it False.
On Oct 16, 2022, a Facebook post appeared sharing two images to support a claim that there was a drone attack in Adigrat and other surrounding areas in the northeastern parts of Tigray targeting civilians. The post was shared over 142 times across the platform at the time.
However, the images don’t prove the claim that the post is rated False.
The conflict between the Ethiopian government and TPLF forces resumed in August after a cessation of hostilities which was declared on Mar 24, 2022.
On Aug 16, 2022, the TPLF said that the federal government already violated the cessation of hostilities jointly declared at the end of March. The TPLF claimed that the armed forces of the federal government attacked its forces with artillery and tanks.
The TPLF forces stated on Aug 24, 2022, that the federal government had launched attacks against its armed forces in the southern Tigray areas. It further announced that the primary intention of the attacks by the federal government was to launch integrated attacks on the western front.
Some weeks ago a battle between the Ethiopian federal government-led forces and TPLF forces in areas near the town of Shire, such as Adiyabo, was reported.
There was a claim that Eritrean forces were advancing into Tigray via Adigrat.
Against this backdrop, a Facebook post appeared on Oct 16, 2022, sharing two images to support a claim that there was a drone attack in Adigray and other surrounding areas in the northeastern parts of Tigray targeting civilians.
However, the images don’t prove the claim. The first image was taken from a British thriller film named Eye in the Sky which was released in 2015. The image was used by different sites (including here, here, here, here) at different times when talking about the movie.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False due to its usage of inaccurate images.
During the month of October, almost all the debunked posts were related to the armed conflict in the Tigray regional state and neighboring states.
Only one post not related to the armed conflict was debunked.
Close to 90 percent of debunked posts accompanied by images
Almost all the false posts debunked by HaqCheck were accompanied by images.
We observe a few false social media contents supported by video clips. HaqCheck published nine standard fact-checking articles during the month of October. However, eight out of the nine debunked social media posts were supported by false and old images.
The only debunked social media post supported by a false video clip was shared on a Facebook post on October 5. The post shared a video clip and it claimed that the video shows the Ethiopian government sending its airforce commandos from the Bishoftu air force base to Asmara.
The video was taken from an old publication previously posted on Aug 29, 2022. The short description of the original video stated that it shows Ethiopian airborne troops conducting training.
Main issues behind false social media posts
HaqCheck figured out six main issues that false social media claims in the month of October were related to. These issues were transportation and deployment of armed forces, Sudan’s involvement in the armed conflict, aerial and ground attacks on civilians and torture, destroyed enemy weapons and facilities, the capture of places, and the American flag being burnt during a rally in Addis Ababa.
Transportation of soldiers and deployment of forces
False images and a video clip were disseminated supporting claims related to the transportation of soldiers and deployment of armed forces to battlefronts in the armed conflict.
For instance, a Facebook page posted a false image claiming that Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers and Amhara regional forces were being transported to launch attacks via the Tekeze river up to northeastern areas of Tigray.
The image used to prove the claim was first posted on Sep 16, 2021, in an article titled “Ethiopia: UN-TPLF scandal like another layer of tacit support surfaced”
Sudanese involvement in the conflict
The indirect involvement of Sudan in the Tigray armed conflict supporting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was also one of the issues that prompted false image-backed claims on social media platforms.
HaqCheck debunked a Facebook post accompanied by four old images claiming that the Ethiopian army along with the Amhara armed forces destroyed TPLF armed units that tried to launch attacks from Sudan via Humera and Metema.
All the images presented to support the claim were old and not related to the issue and the post was rated False.
Aerial and ground attacks on civilians and torture
Many social media posts with claims that civilians were the victim of aerial and ground attacks and tortures by troops were popping up during the month.
On Oct 28, 2022, a Twitter account with more than 16 thousand followers shared two images claiming that a rocket attack by Eritrean and Ethiopian forces in Shire town wounded many children.
The post which presented two images to prove its claim was rated Partly-False because one of the two images was old and from another place. The image was posted on Mar 24, 2022, showing an unexploded rocket in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Destroyed enemy weapons and facilities
Images of alleged destroyed weapons belonging to the belligerents of the armed conflict during the recent fighting were circulating on social media platforms.
HaqCheck fact-checked a social media post that shared three images with a claim that the Ethiopian Air Force destroyed TPLF’s arms depot in the town of Shire.
The post was rated False by HaqCheck because all the images were old.
The capture of places during the recent fighting
The capture of places by the belligerents during the recent fighting between the Ethiopian federal government-led allied forces and the TPLF was one of the main issues of false and controversial information on social media.
For example, on Oct 14, 2022, a tweet was made sharing an image with a claim that the Ethiopian army took control of Shire town. The tweet was shared many times across the platform.
The US flag being burnt during a rally in Addis Ababa
At the end of the month, HaqCheck observed claims that rally attendants burned the US flag during a rally in Addis Ababa opposing American intervention in Ethiopia’s domestic issues.
A Facebook page with over a hundred thousand followers made a post on Oct 23, 2022, with the caption “American flag being burned in the streets of Addis Ababa.”
The post was rated False due to the usage of an inaccurate image to prove the claim. The image was first posted on the Skynews website with a news headline of ‘Haitians burn flags in anti-government demo’.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends social media users be cautious and cross-check claims. They should be skeptical and look for additional sources for controversial information they encounter.
We recommend that the belligerents in the war should be responsible and avoid contaminating public life through disinformation campaigns. They should give factual updates.
Government and other entities should offer the media and public timely and sufficient information. They should also ensure full access to information for the media and the wider public.
An image was posted on social media platforms with claims that Eritrean soldiers were torturing and commiting civilian massacres in the recently-seized northwestern and central areas of Tigray. It was shared on Facebook and Twitter.
Some of the Facebook posts were deleted later on, screenshots are captured though. The Twitter post is still there.
Fighting between the Ethiopian and TPLF on Aug 24, 2022, after the latter announced the truce was already violated by the former.
Since then, the Ethiopian armed forces accompanied by the Eritrean troops and regional militias took control of many urban areas in the Tigray regional state.
After the war resumed again in August, after controlling the town of Shire in northwestern Tigray last week, the federal government-led allied forces seized the towns of Aksum and Adwa in central Tigray.
Thereafter, unverified reports that the allied forces killed civilians in the recently seized areas of the Tigray regional state came out.
Amnesty International on Oct 24, 2022, reported that Eritrean troops killed many people including Eritrean refugees between 6-12 September 2022 in Sheraro town.
Against this backdrop, social media posts shared an image claiming that Eritrean soldiers were torturing civilians in recently-seized areas of Tigray including Shire city. The image was shared by many Facebook accounts, some posts were deleted later though.
The image was also posted on Twitter with a similar claim that Eritrean troops were killing civilians in Aksum and Adwa towns.
However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image is old and doesn’t prove the claim. It was posted on Twitter on Jul 5, 2020 with a description that ethnic Amharas were being killed in Oromia regional state.Therefore, HaqCheck rated the social media posts that claim the image shows Eritrean soldiers torturing and committing civilian massacre in Tigray False.
On Oct 16, 2022, a Facebook post appeared sharing two images to support a claim that there was a drone attack in Adigrat and other surrounding areas in the northeastern parts of Tigray targeting civilians. The post was shared over 142 times across the platform at the time.
The TPLF forces stated on Aug 24, 2022, that the federal government had launched attacks against its armed forces in the southern Tigray areas. It further announced that the primary intention of the attacks by the federal government was to launch integrated attacks on the western front.
Some weeks ago a battle between the Ethiopian federal government-led forces and TPLF forces in areas near the town of Shire, such as Adiyabo, was reported.
There was a claim that Eritrean forces were advancing into Tigray via Adigrat.
Amid this, a Facebook post appeared on Oct 16, 2022, sharing two images to support a claim that there was a drone attack in Adigrat and other surrounding areas in the Northeastern parts of Tigray targeting civilians.
However, the images don’t prove the claim. The first image was taken from a movie Eye in the Sky released in 2015. The image was used by different sites at different times in discussion about the movie.
Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as False due to its usage of inaccurate images.
Axum under the control of Ethiopian armed forces
On Oct 20, 2022, a Facebook group posted an image claiming Axum and Selekleka are controlled by the allied forces. This Facebook group has above eighty thousand members.
The claim came out after reports that several towns in Tigray including Shire town fell into the hands of Ethiopian armed forces.
However, Haqcheck looked into the image and confirmed that the picture doesn’t prove the claim.
The image was first posted on Feb 19, 2022, by a website called Tghat.
Therefore, HaqCheck proved that the post was false due to the use of an irrelevant image.
Ethiopian Air Force throwing out flyers in Tigray
On Oct 15, 2022, a Facebook page posted an image claiming the Ethiopian Air Force dropped flyers regarding the ongoing war between the federal government and the Tigray region. The post also said the flyers had a message that the war is over and the people shouldn’t send their children to the TPLF army.
The claim emerged as the Ethiopian federal-led armed forces advanced to the capital city of the Tigray region and took control of many towns in the regional state.
However, HaqCheck looked into the image and confirmed that the picture doesn’t prove the claim. The image was first posted on May 22, 2016, by the well-known media company Insider. It shows a Russian Su-30 gliding through the air during a test flight.
Therefore, HaqCheck proved that the post was false due to the use of an irrelevant image.
Recommendations
Social media influencers and content creators should abstain from disseminating false and controversial information on social media platforms.
HaqCheck recommends social media users be conscious of the origin and intention of unverified information. They should question the authenticity of the information before they share it with others.
We urge government entities to offer sufficient and timely information to the public and the media. Moreover, the belligerents of the armed conflict in northern Ethiopia the country should give timely updates.
A Facebook page with over a hundred thousand followers shared a post on Oct 23, 2022, with the caption “American flag being burned in the streets of Addis Ababa.”
However, HaqCheck examined the image and determined it to be False.
It is roughly two years since fighting broke out in northern Ethiopia, Tigray. Since then different gatherings and public demonstrations have taken place against foreign interference.
On Oct 22, 2022, public protests were held in different parts of Ethiopia including the Capital city, Addis Ababa. With the demonstration motto “I Will Stand With Ethiopia, I Will Raise My Voice”.
Thousands of Ethiopians demonstrated on Saturday throughout the country against what they claim is foreign meddling in domestic matters.
While protesters blamed the U.S. for disregarding Ethiopia’s sovereignty, others singled out the fleeing leaders of Tigray.
In an effort to find the original image, HaqCheck found it first posted on the Skynews website with a news headline of “Haitians burn flags in anti-government demo.
A 36 seconds-long video of people setting fire to the flag was shared under the news on Feb 16, 2019.
Link For this reason, HaqCheck inspected the post and rendered it False.
