Al Jazeera English on August 19, 2021, shared an article on its Facebook page titled ‘Erdoğan offers to mediate an end to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict’.
The post was accompanied by a headline that reads: “Turkish president meets Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed but no specific agreements or deals have been announced.” The Facebook post was shared by over 437 users and received close to 3,000 reactions.
HaqCheck looked into the content in the website and confirmed that the article does not say that the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan did offer to mediate an end to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. Therefore, HaqCheck rated the Facebook post MISLEADING HEADLINE due to the false connection between the post on Facebook and the article on the website.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister paid a one-day working visit to Turkey, Ankara, on August 18, 2021. He met his counterpart the Turkish President Erdogan to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Erdogan said that he supports a peaceful resolution to Ethiopia’s Tigray armed conflict.
The president said that he is willing to mediate between Ethiopia and Sudan to solve the ongoing border dispute in Al Fashaqa swaths of agricultural land.
In relation to the working visit of the Ethiopian Prime Minister to Ankara, Alarabiya English published a news article that reads that President Erdogan offered to help mediate an end to the Tigray conflict.
The Facebook post by Aljazeera then emerged with a headline “Erdogan offers to mediate an end to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict.
However, the article on the website doesn’t say anything about the Turkish president’s offer to mediate an end to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. The article on the website is different in terms of title and content from the post on Facebook. The title of the article on the website reads “Erdogan backs peaceful resolution to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict” and says Erdogan “…has backed a peaceful resolution to Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict that has displaced tens of thousands and left millions hungry”. It stated that Erdogan said Turkey was willing to mediate between Ethiopia and Sudan to resolve a separate border dispute.
HaqCheck has therefore rated the post as MISLEADING HEADLINE due to the false connection between the title of the article shared on Facebook and the actual content of the article on the website.
A series of posts on social media, mainly Facebook and Twitter, emerged this second week of August claiming that Ethiopia had shut down its embassy in Washington DC. The claims also stated that Ethiopia was evacuating its diplomatic staff from its embassies in Germany and in the US, with diplomats stationed there set to return back home.
The Ethiopian ambassador to the US, Fitsum Arega, responded by refuting the claims, explaining that the embassy is continuing to provide its regular service.
The allegation against Ethiopian Airlines
Another information disorder last week was the claim that Ethiopian Airlines is transporting firearms cargo to the country. Social media posts claimed on August 12, 2021, that firearms were unloaded at Bole International Airport.
Allegations of military equipment and soldier transportation by the airline have been circulating on social media for weeks. These claims were followed up with campaigns that called for the boycotting of the airline. Last week Ethiopian Airlines responded by denying the allegation of transporting soldiers and firearms.
However, the claims were retrieved this week and alleged the airline was transporting firearms into the country and heavy trucks were moving the weapons from the airport to conflict areas.
Controversy over the town of Nefas Meewcha
There had been claims and counterclaims regarding the TPLF’s advancement to Nefas Meewcha. Social media posts emerged claiming the town fell into the hands of TPLF forces. The posts claimed that the TPLF took control of the town and were advancing to Debre Tabor.
As the TPLF forces advance southward and make incursions into the towns of the Amhara regional state, armed conflicts are taking place across three regional states including Afar. TPLF forces recently took control of the historical town of Lalibela. Fighting has been intensified at bordering Amhara-Tigray areas. Nefas Meewcha is 132 kilometers southwest from Lalibela. Along with Nefas Meewcha, social media has reported TPLF won several battles on fronts including Woldia, Lalibela, Adi Goshu, May Tsebri, Gayent, and Tigray-Amhar-Afar adjacent areas.
(Map: conflict areas based on social media reports)
The TPLF regional forces also claimed that they took control of Woldia, the capital of the North Wollo zone of Amhara regional state. But the Ethiopian National Defense Forces said that TPLF forces haven’t seized the town and stated it is fighting them at Guba Lafto, which is 67 kilometers north of Woldia.
Air attack on TPLF Forces in Amhara Region
Another post also surfaced on social media claiming TPLF forces, which were hiding in a secret camp at the Geregera School in the Amhara region, were completely destroyed by the national air force’s operation. The post used a false image to support the claim.
HaqCheck investigated the image and confirmed that it doesn’t support the claim and rated it FALSE for using the picture. The image was taken from a post on 14 January 2020 and shows an explosion at a petrochemical plant in northeastern Spain, near Barcelona.
Addis Ababa-Bahir Dar Road Blockage by OLA
Another social media post that was fact-checked by HaqCheck was a claim that reported that the road which connects Addis Ababa with Bahir Dar was blocked by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). The post, which appeared on social media on August 13, 2021, states that the OLA, headed by Kumsa Diriba – aka Jaal Marroo, has been warning this since last week.
HaqCheck looked into the images that were applied to support the claim and concluded that the pictures do not show the road was being blocked by OLA. Therefore, HaqCheck has rated the post as FALSE due to the usage of inaccurate images.
The images had first appeared in reports from different media outlets, that a landslide had blocked the road from Addis Ababa to Gojam.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends the public should look for information from credible and original sources. Social media users should look for official statements, updates, and clarifications from authorities on such controversial issues.
Media organizations and concerned authorities should provide the public with timely updates regarding the matters. Journalists and news outlets should look into both sides of a story during reporting.
HaqCheck is a local multilingual fact-checking project based in Ethiopia, formed inside Addis Zeybe’s newsroom, now Inform Africa’s Counter Disinformation Project – a board-led Civil Society Organization (CSO) – dedicated to verifying media contents from social to the mainstream. HaqCheck works in collaboration with media outlets to monitor media contents in English and four local languages (Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrigna, and Somali).
This report is produced with the support of UNESCO under the #CoronavirusFacts: Addressing the ‘Disinfodemic’ on COVID-19 in conflict-prone Environments that the UNESCO Addis Ababa Office is implementing in Ethiopia with financial support from the European Union (EU). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or the EU concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO or The European Union and do not commit these organizations in any way.
A Facebook post accompanied by six images with text that claims the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) blocked the Addis Ababa-Bahir Dar asphalt road went viral on social media. The post, which emerged on August 13, 2021, states that the OLA, headed by Kumsa Diriba – aka Jaal Marroo, has been warning this since last week.
HaqCheck has assessed the images and the post and established that the pictures do not support the claim. Therefore, HaqCheck has rated the post as FALSE due to the usage of inaccurate images.
The asphalt road that connects Addis Ababa with the Amhara region’s capital, Bahir Dar, was blocked as of August 13, 2021, due to a landslide. The road is blocked by rubble that fell from rocky and mountainous cliffs along the route. As a result, road transport between the cities is impossible as reported by different media outlets including FBC, EBC, and Ethiopian Press Agency.
Recently the TPLF-forces and OLA, both designated by the House of Peoples’ Representatives as terrorist organizations, announced that they have formed an alliance to topple the current government. The OLA was the armed wing of the Oromo Liberation Front, while TPLF has been engaged in an armed conflict with the federal army since November last year.
The social media post emerged a day after the alliance between the two rebel groups was announced. The post claims that the road was blocked due to a military operation executed by OLF on the night of August 12, 2021.
However, the images used to support the claim had first appeared in reports from different media outlets, that a landslide had blocked the road from Addis Ababa to Gojam.
HaqCheck has therefore rated the post as FALSE due to inaccurate usage of the images.
A Facebook page with over 215,000 followers posted a photo on August 11 with text that reads “The “Junta forces” [TPLF forces], which were hiding in a secret camp at the Geregera School in the Amhara region, were completely destroyed by the national air force’s operation”. The page, which posted the claim as breaking news, reported that the incident happened in Geregera, a town found in Northern Wollo of the Amhara region, located approximately 73.5 km from Lalibela.
The claim is supported by an image that shows an explosion from afar. HaqCheck looked into the post and has rated it as FALSE due to the inaccuracy of the image used to support the claim.
This post is amongst the many that have been circulating across social media following the ongoing armed conflict between the Ethiopian federal government and theTigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) armies since November 2020. The war broke out after the federal government started a military offensive against TPLF forces accusing them of attacking a military base in Tigray. Three weeks later, the federal government reported that it had occupied the regional capital city, Mekelle, and most parts of the regional state.
However, after eight months of the war, the federal government claimed that it had decided to withdraw its troops from the region and declared a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire. After being dislodged by Ethiopia’s military, the former leaders of the region claimed to have regained control on 28 June 2021 over the regional capital and most parts of the regional state.
However, the TPLF-forces have been advancing southwards and southeast, moving out of the heartlands of Tigray. Recently, armed clashes have been reported in border areas adjacent to Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regional states. On August 5, TPLF forces took control of the town of Lalibela in the North Wollo zone of Amhara regional state. Following that, the office of the prime minister issued a statement on August 10 calling on Ethiopians to join an offensive against TPLF forces. The Facebook post that claimed the air force attacked TPLF forces in Amhara Region was shared during these situations.
However, HaqCheck looked into the image posted by the page and checked its authenticity through a reverse image search. It shows that the image was first posted on 14 January 2020. The image shows an explosion at a petrochemical plant in northeastern Spain, near Barcelona.
Despite the reports that the government has begun an offensive against TPLF forces, HaqCheck has confirmed that the image does not show an attack on TPLF in Geregera. Therefore, we have rated the post as FALSE due to the inaccuracy of the image used to support the claim.
Ethiopian social media in the first week of August was convulsed with claim and counterclaim over the alleged massacre of Tigreans in the town of Humera.
Meanwhile, images and reports flooded social media claiming that Amhara regional militias had committed massacres on Tigreans in Humera. The BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, New York Times, VOA, Reuters and other news outlets reported that dead bodies were found floating in the Tekeze river, also known as Setit, around the Sudan border, referring to eyewitnesses.
The allegation on ICRC Ethiopia
Another piece of disinformation which took to social media were allegations claiming a huge amount of money had been found on people from the International Committee of the Red Cross Ethiopia (ICRC) at a checkpoint in Afar region. The posts claim that the cash was to be provided to the TPLF forces. The allegation went viral on Facebook.
The International Committee of the Red Cross Ethiopia issued a statement on Facebook saying that the allegation it had been caught illegally transporting cash to TPLF was false. It added that the items in the image had been notified to the respective federal and regional authorities in advance and were provided with permissions to be transported.
Afar special force deputy commander
A claim that went viral across social media reported that the Afar regional Special Force deputy Commander, Mohammud Ibrahim, has joined the TPLF forces. The person, who also claimed to have joined the TPLF regional forces, was interviewed by a TV station affiliated to TPLF.
Later on, the Afar communication office released a statement regarding the issue stating that Mohammud is the former deputy commander of the Afar Regional Special Police Force. But he was imprisoned for his alleged involvement in contraband trade, before the new leadership came to power back in 2018. The statement also added that he was later released from prison, with the government’s pardon. “What he did doesn’t represent the government and people of Afar,” the statement said.
Ethiopian Airlines allegation
Ethiopian Airlines was accused of transporting soldiers and firearms to Tigray. There were several viral tweets alleging that the state flagship was used to shift military cargo. These claims were followed up with campaigns that called for the boycotting of the airline.
Ethiopian Airlines responded by denying the allegation on social media and said that all flights from and to Tigray had been suspended over a month ago. The national carrier said there had been no flights to the war-torn region since the end of June.
Controversies over Lalibela
Social media posts and allegations regarding the Lalibela Church also spread across social media. Over the week there was a picture of one of the churches, Biete Amanuel, displaying bullet holes, with claims that the TPLF forces had attacked the church.
However, the images were old pictures and the holes that seemed to be gunshots, were not from an attack by TPLF.
On Thursday August 5, 2021, TPLF forces took control of the town of Lalibela in the North Wollo zone of Amhara regional state. Following the news, the US asked the TPLF forces to respect the site’s heritage. It was reported that Getachew Reda, the spokesman for the TPLF, said “the concerns were misplaced. We know what it means to protect heritage sites.”
The visit of Samantha Power to Ethiopia
Another disinformation trend regarded the visit of the USAID chief Samantha Power to Ethiopia. She came to Ethiopia on August 5, 2021 and met Muferiat Kamil, Minister of Peace and Lia Tadesse, Minister of Health.
She didn’t meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) who was said to be out of the capital. Amid the diplomatic stand-off, claims emerged that Power had been told she couldn’t meet with the Prime Minister and instead would attend meetings with lower-ranking government officials. The claim added that Power was notified Abiy could only meet with state leaders with equal positions.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said Power was told that the Prime Minister or the Minister of Foreign Affairs could not be available due to tight schedules.
Power also responded to speculation on social media that said she was coming to Ethiopia with the intention of regime change. She said that she had come to the country for humanitarian purposes not for a regime change.
There were also controversial reports about her visit to Addis Ababa, framing what she said in one angle. Some local news outlets said that she denounced the attacks by the TPLF. Others reported that she criticized Prime Minister Abiy for using adverse rhetoric and terms against communities.
Fact-checking by HaqCheck
In addition HaqCheck looked into the issue about a recently proposed US resolution on Ethiopia. A video clip emerged claiming that the resolution had been repudiated by the Ethiopian-born American former Congress candidate Ted Alemayehu.
However, HaqCheck rated it Misleading. The resolution was neither overturned nor permanently removed. Ted Alemayehu, also on his Facebook page, said the information in the video clip was not accurate. In another post, he further clarified the issue saying he only said the resolution would not be submitted that week and not that it is canceled.
Recommendations
HaqCheck recommends the public should look for information from credible sources. They should also refer to statements, updates, and clarifications from authorities regarding the matter.
All interested bodies and organizations should provide the public with timely information on critical issues.
Journalists and news outlets should look into both sides of a story when reporting. They should also be careful when they quote officials. They should follow discipline in all aspects.
HaqCheck is a local multilingual fact-checking project based in Ethiopia, formed inside Addis Zeybe’s newsroom, now Inform Africa’s Counter Disinformation Project – a board-led Civil Society Organization (CSO) – dedicated to verifying media contents from social to the mainstream. HaqCheck works in collaboration with media outlets to monitor media contents in English and four local languages (Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrigna, and Somali).
This report is produced with the support of UNESCO under the #CoronavirusFacts: Addressing the ‘Disinfodemic’ on COVID-19 in conflict-prone Environments that the UNESCO Addis Ababa Office is implementing in Ethiopia with financial support from the European Union (EU). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or the EU concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO or The European Union and do not commit these organizations in any way.
A YouTube video released on July 29 calling Ted Alemayehu a “hero” has claimed that the Ethiopian-born former candidate for the US Congress played a significant role in making the US overturn a resolution against Ethiopia.
According to the video, Ted Alemayehu confirmed that a resolution by Congress member Karen Bass fiercely criticizing the Ethiopian government had been declined. It was also alleged that Ted Alemayehu had said Ethiopia would not be raised as a “big issue” in an upcoming Congress meeting.
HaqCheck looked into the matter and rendered it Misleading, due to the usage of inaccurate translation and generalization.
Following war and unrest in the northern part of Ethiopia, mainly in the Tigray region, for the past nine months, the US government issued statements over humanitarian and security concerns in Tigray.
The US State Department called for the “immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces and Amhara regional forces” from Tigray, the cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict, and a commitment to permit unhindered humanitarian access.
Ethiopia at the time refused the call. Amidst claims that the US government has taken sides, it said the acts of ethnic cleansing and involvement of foreign forces in the ongoing military operation were unfounded allegations.
The US government then imposed visa sanctions on those who they said were involved in the conflict. The sanctions came after a series of calls from the international community and the US government to cease hostilities in Tigray.
On June 7, US Congress member and Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa Karen Bass, together with other members, issued a statement after introducing a resolution.
The resolution at the time said it was “Condemning all violence and human rights abuses in Ethiopia, and calling on the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea to remove all Eritrean troops from Ethiopia, and for all belligerents in the conflict, including the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and Amhara regional forces, and other armed groups to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, allow unfettered humanitarian access, and cooperate with independent investigations of credible atrocity allegations”.
In a statement on her virtual meeting on July 20, at the US Institute of Peace webinar Africa at the Crossroads, Karen Bass said: “I was meeting with the Ethiopian Diaspora [in America] on Saturday (July 17). And they wanted to know why the U.S. didn’t send in its military to resolve the situation in Ethiopia. I was telling them, self-determination. That was the call of the time, you know, that it just seems inappropriate to me that the US would send its military, you know; I don’t want to see that happen.”
Ted Alemayehu said on Facebook: “I’ve been informed that Resolution 445 “Will Not” be submitted to the committee this week as the Congresswoman had suggested that it would.”
He added: “Ethiopia isn’t a big topic in Congress this week and the ‘Resolution’ won’t be submitted to the committee either”, reminding that Karen mentioned, on Africa at the Crossroad meeting, Ethiopia would be a “Big topic” in Congress and that she would also submit the Resolution for her committee’s votes.
Against this backdrop, the video clip claims that the Ethiopian-born politician Ted Alemayehu confirmed that the plan to submit the resolution to Congress was dropped, and the resolution was permanently removed.
However, the resolution was neither overturned nor permanently removed. Ted Alemayehu on his Facebook page said the information in the video clip was not accurate. In another post, he further clarified the issue saying he only said the resolution would not be submitted that week and not that it is canceled. He also urged reporters to be careful of their reporting.
Granted, there is an effort and movement by Ethiopian-Americans to remove the proposed resolution from Congress’ agenda. However, HaqCheck has looked into the information in the video clip and rated it as MISLEADING.
There has been an ongoing war in the northern part of Ethiopia since November 2020. The conflict started after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray accusing them for attacking the northern command and taking away the artillery. And the fighting has been active for the past nine months.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) denies starting the conflict saying it had struck preemptively because federal forces were preparing to assault Tigray, and the government wants to dominate their ethnic group for centralized power.
The nine months-long ongoing war has contained several issues. The Situation has been changing quickly and it was full of action. The regional capital Mekele was captured by the government forces after three weeks of the beginning of the war. After eight months of conflict the government declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its defense forces. TPLF then captured the regional capital . The parliament also labeled the party as a terrorist.
During the course of the war, unconfirmed issues, rumors, conspiracies, and controversies filled the information sphere, especially social media, regarding the conflict in the north. Different ways were used to disseminate disinformation and to create controversy in the past month.
Usage of Images
The article “How Local Guerrilla Fighters Routed Ethiopia’s Powerful Army”, by The New York Times, with images of armed children, garnered attention. The article refers to the children as “…highly motivated young recruits…” which raised a question of war crimes, and the promotion of recruiting child soldiers.
The image used by The New York Times, that was changed later
Even though TPLF didn’t comment on the issue, the images were later changed with other photos.
Another article by Amnesty International calling “End the arbitrary arrests of Tigrayans” was criticized for using an unrelated image. Even though the article confirmed the reports that claim Tigrayans are being detained in Addis Ababa, the picture used by Amnesty shows a policeman searching people, who were on a queue during the June’s election. The picture was first used by AFP. The photographer was mentioned in the article, but Amnesty didn’tclarifythat the image was taken on election day. The image was later changed.
Screenshot of the statement by Amnesty international before it was editedScreenshot of the article by AFP
One of the other controversies was related to the recapturing of Alamata, by TPLF forces. An image with the claim that the rebel army had seized a pickup truck of Amhara police forces went viral. The people in the image were holding and showing the license plate of the vehicle. However, some people argued that both the car and the plate were photoshopped and did not prove the vehicle had been captured. Some edited versions of the original image were also shared to disprove it.
Content that was released with images of children alleging that the TPLF, which was designated by the House of Peoples’ Representatives as a terrorist organization, is conscripting child soldiers into fresh battles also raised an argument.
One side claimed that the children and adults in the images were captured in neighboring Afar and Amhara regions during fresh battles. Different media outlets released video clips of interviews showing the supposed child soldiers.
As a counterclaim, others argued that the women and children in the images and video clips aren’t child soldiers conscripted by TPLF. They instead asserted that they are returnees from Saudi Arabia and have been forced by the government to be interviewed and give scripted interviews. For instance, a Facebook page with 20,433 followers claimed that one of the interviewees is a Saudi returnee and was forced to give the interview falsely and appealed to users to share the post. The post was shared more than 1,500 times across the platform. This shows how claims can circulate on social media widely.
The blockage of both road and railway between Djibouti and Addis Ababa was another controversial issue during the week.
Reports stated that the road and the railway, which is a corridor for 95% of imports to the Ethiopian capital from its eastern neighbor, were blocked by young protesters. The cause of the protest is said to be down to an attack on Gedamaytu town, in the Somali region, by special forces and militia from the neighboring region of Afar. Even though Somali region officials and residents alleged hundreds of people had been killed in the attack, no statement was given from the Afar region or the federal government. The information gap made it easier to share it in a lot of different contexts that misled the public.
Besides the image-based controversies, there were also different claims here and there, seen using inaccurate images. Some of them were debunked by HaqCheck.
A false image, posted on Facebook, claimed that the dead bodies of Amhara special forces had been taken to Gondar by Sino trucks. However, HaqCheck debunked the false image and information and confirmed that the image was taken from an advertisement. HaqCheck proved the picture of the truck was posted on 23 Dec 2019, on an online trading platform.
The other claim was information that stated firearms, ammunition, and military clothes had been captured from the TPLF Forces by the Afar Regional forces. HaqCheck found out the Facebook post used an old picture and other unconfirmed images. Similarly, another image was posted claiming to show captured TPLF forces by the Afar special forces. It used a picture that was actually posted on November 7, to support its claim.
Another Facebook post claiming a trusted military source confirmed a warehouse with a large stockpile of weapons set up [by TPLF] to control Afar and Amhara regions burned down to ashes by FDRE Air Force. The Facebook story also claimed that the incident happened at a place around Kaluwa, the border of Afar and Amhara regions. The images used in the post were taken at different times with different photographers and incidents.
A Facebook post claiming mothers in Mekelle, capital of the Tigray Region, were going out onto the streets to condemn the acts of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) was also looked into by HaqCheck. However, the image that was posted with the claim was an old picture that first appeared on social media on 21 October 2018.
Unconfirmed controversial issues
Even though the federal government did not give an official comment, the Amhara regional state government announced that it had shifted from “defense to offense in the re-invasion of various parts of the state.” Following the announcement by the Amhara regional state, other regional state special forces also started to deploy their special forces to Tigray.
Following that social media posts that said “the Sidama special forces had refused to be deployed to Tigray” went viral. However, it was reported later, that the special force was “moving to stand with the national defense force, accepting a national call”.
Recent claims about Woldia town, located in the North Wollo zone of the Amhara region, filled the social media sphere from different sides. One side claimed that Woldia city is in the control of TPLF and the federal defense force was in retreat leaving its heavy weapons and vehicles.
On the other side, there was a statement on the official Facebook page of Amhara region communication saying “Woldia city and the surrounding areas are peaceful”
Controversial issues based on interviews
An article entitled “From Nobel Hero to Driver of War, Ethiopia’s Leader Faces Voters”, published on June 21, by The New York Times, also created controversy in the past month. The article narrates a conversation between Senator Chris Coons and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed about the war in Tigray.
Screenshot of the article before it was edited
As mentioned in the article, the conversation was made on Nov 3, which was before the conflict broke out. But their phone conversation was actually on Nov 23, which the article was later edited to reflect. The writer, Declan Walsh, also announced that the article had been corrected, saying: “After publication Senator Coons said he misremembered the date and the story has been corrected and appended.”
Another issue was raised based on rumors and unconfirmed claims on social media, that former politicians and statesmen including Lemma Megersa, Siye Abraha, Tamrat Layne, Yared Tibebu, Dawit Weldegiorgis, Birhane Gebrekirstos, and others – are saying they are going to reconcile the federal government and TPLF in addition to conspiring against the government at the same time.
Following that other claims arose saying that the former Oromia regional President, Lemma Megersa, had rejected the allegation. He was said to have called for an end to trading on his name, in an apparent interview with VOA Afaan Oromoo.
However, VOA Amharic announced that there was no recent interview with Lemma Megersa. In the statement on July 28, VOA’s Afaan Oromo Editor-in-Chief, Nemo Dandi said “there was no attempt to contact Lemma for an interview, the idea was not even raised.”
The issue about Addis Ababa, Bole International Airport
Early in the week, a number of posts on Facebook and Twitter went viral, claiming that Addis Ababa, Bole International Airport had halted operations and was closed.
But the airport had only stopped operations due to adverse weather conditions. Flights heading to Addis Ababa were diverted to nearby airports due to fog and heavy rain. Two Ethiopian Airlines and one Turkish Airlines flight were impacted.
Later on, Monday flights resumed from and to Bole International Airport. Ethiopian Airlines announced that it was able to reroute the flights that had been diverted after weather conditions improved.
“The weather conditions are still unreliable which can change at any time and we’ll continue to update you on the progress,” a statement from the airlines said at the time.
Recommendation
Based on the trends observed in the past month, information disorder aggravates situations during political instability. This worsens when the availability of information to the public is limited. In this case, HaqCheck believes that the information gap accelerates the spread of disinformation. To minimize its damage, the government, public figures, and other concerned bodies should provide updates and allow access to information to the media and the general public since making the right information available in a timely fashion is vital for combating disinformation.
Some international media and organizations were also part of the misinformation spread the past month. They should be responsible for their reporting. They should care for humanitarian affairs as inaccurate information inflicts long-term damage on societies especially on those with less [media] literacy.
Social media activists and public figures should also refrain from spreading unconfirmed information and disinformation.
Media outlets should focus on providing the public with timely, accurate, and reliable information regarding ongoing situations. The journalists should stick to basic journalism principles and report accurate information without any bias, mainly about sensitive issues. They should also work hand in hand, with the concerning bodies, to enhance the media literacy of the public.
The public should be aware of such information disorders and protect themselves from not sharing unconfirmed information. Not all information coming from social media and not all images are true, so they should rely on information from credible sources.
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HaqCheck is a local multilingual fact-checking project based in Ethiopia, formed inside Addis Zeybe’s newsroom, now Inform Africa’s Counter Disinformation Project – a board-led Civil Society Organization (CSO) – dedicated to verifying media contents from social to the mainstream. HaqCheck works in collaboration with media outlets to monitor media contents in English and four local languages (Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrigna, and Somali).
This report is produced with the support of UNESCO under the #CoronavirusFacts: Addressing the ‘Disinfodemic’ on COVID-19 in conflict-prone Environments that the UNESCO Addis Ababa Office is implementing in Ethiopia with financial support from the European Union (EU). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or the EU concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO or The European Union and do not commit these organizations in any way.
A Facebook page with over 212,7570 followers posted a photo with text that says mothers in Mekelle, capital of Tigray Region, are going out to the streets to complain over the acts of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF).
Posted on July 28, the Amharic written text reads: “Mothers in Mekelle complained over TPLF! The mothers of Mekelle are going out to the streets saying that “Mekelle has turned to hell, asking the “Juntas” sorrowfully to bring back their children from the war zone saying the kids are dying in hunger…“.
The claim is supported by an image, which shows elderly women mourning on the street. The post has been shared more than 1,500 times up until this article was published. HaqCheck looked into the post and has rated it as FALSE.
The Ethiopian federal government has been battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since November 2020 after accusing it of attacking military bases in the restive region. Following three weeks of armed conflict, the federal government occupied the regional capital city, Mekelle, and most parts of the regional state.
During the armed conflict, it was reported that TPLF officials had been captured and killed by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF). However, the international community also accused the Federal government, ENDF, Amhara special forces and militia, and Eritrean troops of crimes against humanity including massacres and rapes.
After eight months of the war, the Ethiopian government announced that it had decided to withdraw troops from the region and declare a humanitarian ceasefire. After being dislodged by Ethiopia’s military, the former leaders of the region claimed to have regained control on 28 June 2021 over the regional capital.
Based on the story that was published on Financial Times’s front page and other allegations, it was reported that TPLF is conscripting child soldiers into fresh battles. Interviews of the mentioned captured child soldiers were also released. Over the past weeks after the TPLF forces retook the regional state, different information is coming out on social media, including the one posted by the page.
HaqCheck looked into the image posted by the page. A reverse image search of the image shows that the image was first posted on 21 October, 2018Twitter. The tweet was shared in the context that there were protests around Raya Alamata about Raya people in the Tigray region raising identity questions during that time.
Despite reports that TPLF is conscripting child soldiers, HaqCheck has confirmed that the image does not show crying mothers in Mekelle, rendering the post False due to the inaccuracy of the image. Additionally, HaqCheck observed that up until the time this article was published there had been no official report of related incidents from any side.
A Facebook page with more than 42,000 followers posted two images with Amharic captions that read “Good Victory News for Ethiopians”. Posted on July 22, the story claimed that a trusted military source confirmed a warehouse with a large stockpile of weapons set up [by TPLF] to control Afar and Amhara regions burned down to ashes by FDRE Air Force. The Facebook story also claimed that the incident happened at a place around Kaluwa, the border of Afar and Amhara regions. The post has been shared more than 400 times in less than 24 hours.
HaqCheck looked into the post and rated it as False due to the usage of inaccurate images to support the claim.
On November 4, 2020, armed fighting started between TPLF-led regional and federal government-led forces in Tigray. In the ensuing conflict, the federal army has controlled major areas in Tigray, but there have been reports of active war and guerilla fighting across the region. The Federal government also announced it had captured and killed TPLF senior military and civil officials.
Late last month the Ethiopian government declared a sudden unilateral ceasefire for “humanitarian purposes” and immediately withdrew its forces from the mainlands of the regional state. As a reason for the withdrawal, the federal government mentioned a request from the Tigray Interim Administration.
The TPLF-forces have been advancing southwards and southeast, moving out of the heartlands of Tigray. Recently armed clashes have been reported in border areas adjacent to Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regional states.
The Facebook post was circulating amid this situation.
However, a reverse image search of both the pictures shows that the images were taken at different times and are not actually related to the current situation around the regions. The first image that shows two helicopters firing was taken by Sergey Pivovarov, on September 20, 2019, while Russian mi-35 attack helicopters fire during military exercises. The original image is available on c Alamy, an online image stock.
The second image showing an armed man and another man wearing what seems like an Ethiopian flag was actually taken by Paul Salopek. It is part of journalist Paul Salopek’s multiyear, “21,000-mile walk across the world in the footsteps of our forebears”, which was published on February 04, 2013. The image can be found on the National Geographic website.
HaqCheck also could not find any official report from the Air force or other media outlets regarding the situation.
Even though there have been reports of fresh armed conflicts in the areas that border the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions, HaqCheck confirmed that the images do not show an incident where the Ethiopian Air Force is destroying a warehouse of weapons in Afar. Therefore we rated the post as FALSE due to the usage of inaccurate images to support the claim.
A Facebook page with more than 6,000 followers posted an image on July 21 showing a group of people wearing a military uniform. The Amharic caption reads “Juntas” captured by Afar Special Forces. The post had been shared more than 90 times by the time this article was published.
HaqCheck looked into the post and declared the post False due to the usage of inaccurate images to support the claim.
On November 4, 2020, armed fighting started between TPLF-led regional and Federal government-led forces in Tigray. In the ensuing conflict, the federal army has controlled major areas in Tigray, but there have been reports of armed battles and guerilla attacks in the region. The Federal government captured and killed TPLF senior military and civil officials.
Late last month the Ethiopian government, following a request from the Tigray Interim Administration, declared a sudden unilateral ceasefire for “humanitarian purposes” and immediately withdrew its forces from the mainlands of the regional state.
After federal forces left the region, the TPLF-forces rebranded themselves as Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), taking control of urban centers of the regional state.
The TPLF-forces have been advancing southwards and southeast, moving out of the heartlands of Tigray. Recently armed clashes have been reported in border areas adjacent to Tigray, such as Amhara and Afar regional states.
The Facebook post was circulating amid this situation.
However, a reverse image search of the picture shows that the image was taken at a different time and is not actually related to the current situation around the Afar region. HaqCheck found out the image is cropped and the former image can be found in another Facebook post from November 07, 2020. As well as the people in military uniforms on the ground, the full image HaqCheck sourced shows two men wearing the ENDF uniform standing in the middle.
Despite the reports of fresh armed conflict in the areas that border the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions, HaqCheck confirmed that the images do not show TPLF soldiers captured by the Afar special forces. Therefore we have labeled the post-FALSE due to the usage of inaccurate images to support the claim.
