Fact Checks

On 19 December 2020 a facebook post by the name ኩዒታ – Kuéta (a personal blog with 2,137 followers) emerged posting an image that shows troops with the claim that Sudan has fully controlled 2,000 square kilometers of disputed territories and declared that it will not give up one inch of its land. The text which is written in Amharic reads “…. Sudan has deployed several troops and Egypt has sided with Sudan and expressed its favor that it would support politically and economically in defending Sudan’s sovereignty….”

However, HaqCheck has interogetted the claim and confirmed that the image below that shows Sudanese soldiers is not of the recent clashes in the Ethio-Sudanese border, therefore, rendered the post as FALSE due to the usage of an inaccurate image to support the claim.

There have been armed clashes between the Amhara militia and Sudanese forces in the Ethio-Sudanese border last week. On 17 December 2020 the Sudanese army claimed control of the undemarcated territories that borders Ethiopia and Sudan. The army declared that the international borders with Ethiopia are clear and indisputable and that Sudan will not give up one inch of its territory. The statement by the army further clarified that the international borders with Ethiopia, are obvious and unquestionable  and therefore, Sudan will not allow its sovereign territories to be controlled by any other country. Abiy Ahmed (PhD), Prime Minister of Ethiopia in a statement he made on Twitter on 17 December 2020 said that his administration is closely following the border clash incident with local militia. He played down the border clash with Sudan saying that such incidents will not break the bond between the two countries. On 22 December 2020 Demeke Mekonnen, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Ethiopia paid a visit to Khartoum to negotiate with Sudanese officials to delineate the shared borders.

Amid the conflict between Ethiopian and Sudanese forces in the border areas a facebook post claiming that Sudan has fully controlled disputed territories sharing an image that depicts troops to support the claim was posted. However, a reverse image search of the image used in the facebook post shows that the picture was taken by Mohamed Babiker of Xinhua from Sudan and first published on alamy, a British stock photography agency on 13 March 2017 (3 years, 9 months and 6 days before the post was shared) with a description that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) marching during the inauguration of the biggest batch of RSF forces that amounted to 11,450 in Khartoum. The post that contains the original image can be accessed with the following link.

Original Image:

Granted, the Sudanese army claimed control of undemarcated borders at the time the facebook post was shared. However, HaqCheck has interrogated the post and rated it as FALSE information due to the usage of an inaccurate image to support the claim.

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative, which is run by its R&D Department.

There was a facebook post by the name US Embassy Scholarship portal claiming that the US Embassy is giving scholarships for Africans. HaqCheck has interrogated the post and rated it false due to the inaccuracy of the claim.

The US government has many exchange programs and scholarship opportunities for Non US citizens. The US Embassy in Ethiopia has an Educational and Cultural exchange program where the Cultural exchanges deal with promoting mutual understanding between Ethiopia and the United States arts and cultures. Educational exchange focuses on bringing American Scholars and Students to Ethiopia to teach and/or conduct research at different Ethiopian higher institutions. The program also covers taking Ethiopians to the U.S. from short to one year long educational exchanges, leadership training, professional development and experience sharing. 

Some of the major educational exchange programs include: The Fulbright Program, Humphrey Fellowship, International Visitors Leadership Program, Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, and English Language Fellowship Program. The Addis Ababa EducationUSA Advising Center offers group advising sessions for graduate and undergraduate students at the American Center which is located in the National Archives and Libraries Agency (Wemezekir).

This being said the facebook post claimed the US Embassy is giving scholarships for Africans. HaqCheck contacted The US Embassy in Ethiopia via Email and confirmed ,from the US Embassy Spokesperson, that the facebook page US Embassy Scholarship Portal is not the official page for the US Embassy and the opportunities that were stated on the facebook post was not the one the US exchange program offers.

Granted the United States department, Bureau of educational and cultural affairs, have an exchange program for Non U.S citizens. However HaqCheck has interrogated the post rated FALSE.

Fact Checked by: Rehobot Ayalew

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English). Addis Zeybe will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months. 

On December 16, 2020 a facebook post was emerged by a facebook user named Solomon Tekaligne (an account with 56,900 followers and 4,999 friends) sharing the European Union flag with the claim that the European Union has decided to cut a 90 million euro budget support to Ethiopia over the ongoing armed conflict in Tigray. The text which is written in Amharic reads “Thanks European Union, it reached a decision to suspend the 90 million euro budget support to Ethiopia…. We expect, next that .. Abiy Ahmed to be accused of war crime by the International Criminal Court…” However, HaqCheck has interogetted the case and confirmed that the European Union (EU) did not suspend the 90 million euro budget support to Ethiopia due to the ongoing armed conflict in Tigray. But the EU has decided to postpone a decision on a potential 90 million euro budget support payment due before the end of this year. Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post as PARTLY FALSE.

Granted, the European Union has decided to delay a decision on a potential 90 million euro budget support payment to the Ethiopian government before the end of 2020. In an email sent to Addis Zeybe by a Political Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia Jozef Naudts, the EU has decided to postpone a decision on the 90 million euro budget support payment due to the conflict in Tigray and following the humanitarian crisis in the region as a result of these hostilities. According to the Political Officer the EU has set forth clear conditions that must be fulfilled by the government of Ethiopia before the said support may be resumed. These preconditions according to Jozef are identified as granting full humanitarian access for relief actors to reach people in need in all affected areas; the guaranteed ability of civilians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries; the cessation of ethnically targeted measures and hate speech, the erection of mechanisms to monitor human rights violations to investigate allegations of breach of human rights as well as the full restoration of communication and media access in Tigray. However, according to the Political Officer these cuts in aid are not related to EU humanitarian programs and interventions on the ground as well as development actions implemented or funded by the European Union in Ethiopia.

In conclusion HaqCheck has interrogated the post and confirmed that the claim is PARTLY FALSE .

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note:

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeybe will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.

On December 13, 2020 a facebook post was shared in the facebook group ሳልሳይ ወያነ ትግራይ ንምስረታ ሃገረ ትግራይ (a group with 31.2K members) by a facebook user named Mooyiiboon Dhuufeera (an account with 432 friends) sharing the image which contains four different pictures of crashed cars with the claim that these vehicles were smashed in a traffic accident which occured in Zemetin kebele of Dansha woreda, in western Gonder on December 13, 2020. The post which is pleading with members of the group to share it further claims that the crash accident took the lives of 38 people and invited friends to see the dead bodies in a telegram channel using the link the facebook client attached for the alleged purpose of identifying the identity of the corpses. The telegram channel doesn’t have any photos of the dead bodies. Despite the claim by the user, HaqCheck has confirmed that the pictures below do not indicate any traffic accident happened in western Gondar recently, rendering the verdict FALSE.

Granted, Ethiopia is one of the countries in the world with high rates of car accidents. During the last fiscal year 4,133 people died because of traffic accidents across the country. This is also true in the case of the Amhara Regional State. Addis Zeybe recently reported that in the last two weeks of November 2020 in Bahir Dar alone 59 traffic accidents occured in the Amhara Regional State claiming the lives of 40 people. In addition, 25 people were injured seriously and 19 people were wounded slightly, according to the statement by the Amhara Police Commission to Addis Zeybe. Therefore, it is true that traffic accidents are a serious problem in the Amhara Regional State and the country in general. 

Image 1: Claimed Image

Image 2: Original Image

However, a reverse image search of the image that was shared to a group by the facebook account indicates that the car crash did not happen recently in western Gondar. The image was published for the first time on facebook by Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation on August 19, 2019. The pictures show a traffic accident that occurred in the Zemetin kebele of Dejena woreda, esatern Gojjam, Amhara regional state. The accident in which a truck and bus crashed killed 39 people and seriously wounded 11 people at the time. Furthermore, 26 people had been slightly injured in the accident that took place in August 2019. The post can be accessed using the following link.

In conclusion HaqCheck has interrogated the post and confirmed that the image doesn’t show any traffic accident happened on December 13, 2020 in western Gondar, rating it as FALSE.

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeybe will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.

The pictures in the post by Ethio Media – a facebook page with over 255,000 followers – used to support the claim that Ethiopia has bought modern fighter jets from France do not support the above claim. However, Haqcheck can confirm that there were initiatives within the Ethiopian government to purchase fighter jets from the French government, leading it to the conclusion that the post is FALSE. 

The facebook post that emerged on December 7, 2020 shows one Russian made Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter and a French drone to support the claim that Ethiopia has procured fighter jets from France. It claims Ethiopia procured fighter jets, drones, and a nuclear missile that is able to travel upto 6,000 kilometers. The post uses the pictures in support of its claim.

It is true that the Ethiopian government has been increasing the capacity of its airforce in the past two years. According to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed’s (PHD) statement at the recent parliament address to clarify the country’s  situation, the military has been increasing the technological and institutional capacity of its air force. It is also true that several news outlets including VOA news and the Military Blog reported such initiatives. VOA reported in March 2019 of a military cooperation to boost the Naval services of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the Military blog on the other hand reported that the Ethiopian prime minister had requested a loan to facilitate the purchase of several transport, multipurpose and military aircrafts and helicopters. However, there have been no confirmed deals pertaining to the purchase of any helicopters, choppers, jets or other vehicles from the French government as of yet. 

A reverse image search of the first image indicates that the picture is of a Russian-made Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft that was sold to Argentina in December 2017. The picture was first published in December, 2017 on Defpost.com; an online blog and can be accessed with the following link.

Image One: MiG29 fighter aircraft sold to Argentina in 2017

The second picture on the other hand was a French drone taken while in flight in Niamey, the capital of Niger in 2014. A reverse image search indicates that the image was first published in the UK Defence Journal in November 2019 and can be accessed with the following link.

Image Two: French unmanned aircraft (drone) in action in Niamey, Niger in 2019

Granted, the Ethiopian government has been investing in its air force since the introduction of the current administration and France was one of its prospective partners in this regard considering the information out there. However, HaqCheck has interrogated the post and rated it as FALSE information due to the inaccuracy of the claim vis a vis the pictures.

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeye will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.

A tweet by the Ethiopian Online News outlet, Addis Standard – which has over 151,000 followers on facebook and over 180,000 followers on twitter – shared on its website a story with the headline “NEWS: OPPOSITION PARTY OROMO FEDERALIST CONGRESS SAYS IT WILL NOT TAKE PART IN COMING ELECTIONS UNDER EXISTING CONDITIONS” also sharing the story on its facebook and twitter accounts. The page supported the above claim using a communique sent by the party in Afaan Oromo and Amharic. However, HaqCheck has interrogated the article  and evidence provided by the news outlet and rated it as MISLEADING Headline.

The Oromo Federalist Congress – a party including prominent figures from the Oromia region such as  Professor Merara Gudina (PHD) (Chairperson of the party), Bekele Gerba (First Vice-chairperson) and Jawar Mohammed (a prominent member in the party – is one of the strong parties that are expected to partake in the upcoming elections. It is also true that high ranking members of the OFC were arrested and currently face strong charges of terrorism, incitement of violence, telecom fraud and illegal possession of firearms. Jawar Mohammed faces all four charges while the vice-chairperson of the party Bekele Gerba faces all charges except the telecom fraud charge by the Attorney General. Recently, Bekele Gerba and Jawar Mohammed refused to appear at their previous court date claiming the current security circumstances of the country, requesting an Ad-Hoc bench near their detention center. It is also true that the OFC released a statement “it would be extremely hard” for it to partake in the upcoming elections because most of its leaders and members from the Federal to the Kebele levels are imprisoned and its offices apart from the Headquarters remain closed. 

Image 1: The statement by the OFC in Amharic 

Granted, the party has in fact come out with a statement demanding three things (namely: the release of the leadership and members of the OFC in detention, the reopening of the offices of the OFC and the creation of an environment conducive for campaigning and other electoral tasks). Addis Standard has also captured the above statement of the OFC well in the body of the article. However, despite warnings that the party may not partake in the current elections under the current circumstances at no place in the above letter or its Afaan Oromo equivalent does the party definitively say that it will not partake in the upcoming elections, despite the message of the Headline used by Addis Standard in the article. While it may be argued that as long as the body clarifies the headline properly, a study by Columbia University shows that about 60 percent of twitter users share posts without reading the headline, which demonstrates the capacity of such headlines misleading the public (independent of the body of the article).

Therefore, HaqCheck has interrogated the headline (excluding the body) and rendered the verdict MISLEADING because the party did not confer the message in the headline at any point in the communique it posted on its social media platforms.  

Fact Checked by: Abdulahi Abdulkadir 

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeye will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months. 

On December 14, 2020 a facebook post was published by a facebook user named ኣነ ንባእላ ትግራይ (an account with 15,849 followers) sharing the picture below of a man who sleeping on straw with the claim that the man (the post claims the person is woman) was found dead because of starvation due to the ongoing military operation in Tigray. The text – which is written in Tigrinya reads “Please share it so that Tigreans and Tigrean-friends in the world can see. … People who managed to escape bullets are dying because of starvation in Tigray… Properties are robbed,.. No electricity, no money due to banks being closed…” The user pleads with other users to share the image worldwide. However, HaqCheck has confirmed that the picture below doesn’t show the realities in Tigray, rendering the verdict FALSE for the usage of the image falsely to support the claim.

Granted, it is true that there have been instabilities in Tigray due to the armed conflict between the federal government-led forces and TPLF-led Tigray Special Forces and militia since November 4, 2020. The Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and Amhara regional forces on one front, and the Tigray special police force and militia on the other side have been engaged in conflict since then. It is also true that due to the ensuing conflict and other humanitarian concerns (such as the desert locust invasion and COVID19) have contributed to the humanitarian crisis being compounded in the Tigray region. Due to initial moves by the TPLF it is also true that transportation, electricity and banking service have remained closed since the onset of the armed conflict, until being partially restored in the region after the Federal forces controlled major cities in Tigray. According to international relief organizations such as the UNHCR, UNOCHA and ICRC there is a shortage of food, medicine and other essential resources in the region. 

Recently the federal government sent thousands of quintals of food item humanitarian aid to Mekelle and Shire.

Image 1: Altered Image (“Ohhhh Mother!” With grief emoji)

Image 2: Original Image

However, a reverse image search of the image that was posted by the facebook account indicates that the man slept on straw is not in Tigray. The picture was published for the first time on Reddit, an American social news aggregation, web content rating and discussion website with a text written in Nepali on November 25, 2020. At the time, the reddit user posted the image with the translated text “In the language of KP Oli [the current Nepali prime minister], it is a non-national element that is scared to see prosperity in the country. In the language of KP Oli, this is propaganda that sees the root of development in the country.” The post can be accessed using the following link. Two days later cinekala.com, social media website wrote a story on the image claiming that the man was 77-years-old Rai (ethnolinguistic group in Nepal) and had been ill for 10 years and found slept on straw because he didn’t have any piece of cloth or bed. The story can be accessed using the following link.

HaqCheck has interrogated the post and confirmed that the picture was not captured during the current crises in Tigray neither was the man on the image found dead in Tigray. Consequently, HaqCheck has rated the above post as FALSE for using the wrong picture to support the claim.

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeybe will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.

The facebook post below alleged that trucks are heading to Tigray to loot the region asking its followers (23,253 followers) to share the image. However, HaqCheck has interrogated the post and the pictures used as evidence to learn that it was false information.

There have been instabilities in Tigray following the conflict that broke out between the federal and regional forces on 4 November 2020. The TPLF-led Tigray regional government forces on the one side and the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and Amhara regional forces on the other side had been in fighting for nearly a month now with the ENDF later controlling Mekele on 28 November 2020. The conflict in the region is still raging on with TPLF leaders still at large in an area close to Mekele, the capital of Tigray.

Amid the conflict a facebook post claiming that trucks from Eritrea are looting the Tigray region has emerged. However, a reverse image search of the first image used in the facebook post shows that the picture is of the heavy-duty trucks that were used by Piccini, an Italian construction firm when constructing residential buildings and resorts in Massawa, Eritrea. The picture was first published in March in 2013 and can be accessed with the following link.

The second picture on the other hand is of an old truck taken from Eritrea. A reverse image search indicates that the image was first published in Flickr, an American image and video sharing platform in 2012 and can be accessed with the following link.

Granted, there were ongoing instabilities in Tigray at the time the facebook post was shared. However, HaqCheck has interrogated the post and rated it as FALSE information due to the inaccuracy of the claim related to the pictures.

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative, which is run by its R&D Department.

Editor’s Note:

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeye will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months. 

The picture in the post by the facebook profile Felmi Bar – which has 5,000 friends as of 7 December 2020 – does not show the Ethiopian National Defence Force’s operation in Tigray neither does it support the claim in the post written in Affaan Oromo and posted on the above profile on 7 December 2020. The post claims that the Federal government is looting and destroying infrustructures in the Tigray region before proposing that the government should be held accountable for this. HaqCheck has interrogated the pictures in the post to reach the conclusion that the first image was a FALSE image while the second one couldn’t be located anywhere. 

As can be seen from the image above, the page posted two pictures to support the above claim. The first one shows shots from heavy artillery tanks while the second picture depicts an individual wearing a military uniform trying to shoot a heavy artillery weapon. The user uses these pictures to support his claim that the Ethiopian National Defense force is destroying infrastructure using huge heavy artillery in the Tigray national regional state without specifically mentioning the exact place in the Region.

Granted, there is an ongoing conflict in the Tigray National Regional State between the ENDF and it’s the Amhara Special Police and Militia on one side and the Tigray Special Police and Militia on the other. There have also been scattered claims that the ENDF side was looting and destroying infrastructure in the  Tigray region, including from the Communications head of the TPLF Getachew Reda. However, amid the continuing network and internet blackout, there are no confirmed incidents of such looting in the region, including in the capital of the region, Mekelle. 

Image 1: Original Image 

Image 2:     Altered image  

A reverse image search of the image used by  the page Felmi Bar so as to support the claim that says the national defense forces were destroying infrastructure in Tigray region using heavy artillery doesn’t accurately show the reality. To the contrary the image was first posted by  Indian Ocean Newsletter on May 7,2011 showing the conflict between Ethiopia and its northern neighbour Eritrea during the Ethio-Eritrea war. No result appears for the first image in any of HaqCheck’s tools. 

It is true that there has been conflict in the region in which both warring parties have used heavy artilleries but HaqCheck has confirmed that the first photo used by the page in order to support the claim in the post, leading it to rate the above post as FALSE. 

Fact Checked by: Abdulahi Abdulakadir  

Edited by:  Bruck Negash  

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeye will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.

On December 11, 2020 a facebook post was published by a facebook user named Selam Nkulu (an account with 3418 friends and 1337 followers) sharing the picture below of men who handle chopper billhook in their hands with the claim that the people in the image are responsible for the Mai Kadra massacre. The text – which is written in Amharic- translates to read “let the image be archived properly, these men [the six individuals in the picture] are among those who will be held accountable. The image shows who partook in the Mai Kadra massacre.” However, HaqCheck has confirmed that the picture below doesn’t show the realities during the Mai Kadra incident, rendering the verdict FALSE for the claim by the facebook user.

Granted, it is true that at the cusp of the current conflict on November 9 and 10 there were mass killings of civilians based on their ethnic identity with numbers as high as 600. The massacre of civilians was executed amidst armed conflict between the Federal government and the TPLF led Tigray special police and militia. According to the government, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and other international and local outlets, the attacks were jointly carried out by local authorities in Mai Kadra and an extremist group known as Samri which is made up of youth from Tigray. According to the preliminary study conducted by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (ECHR) over 600 civilians were killed during the massacre which was carried out on November 9 and 10, 2020. It is also true that according to the ECHR and Amnesty International, the perpetrators of the mass and gruesome killings in the Mai Kadra town used machetes, axes, sharp objects and ropes to claim lives of ethnic Amhara and Wolkait Ethiopians living in the town. Currently investigations are underway according to the ECHR, even though the Spokesperson of the State of Emergency in Tigray Task Force, Redwan Hussien said that no independent external investigation will be allowed on the Mai Kadra killings. 

Image 1: Altered Image

Image 2: Original Image (ebisa )

However, a reverse image search of the image that was posted by the facebook account indicates that the picture is not of the incident in Mai Kadra in which over 600 people were killed. The picture was published for the first time on twitter by the name ebisa on July 10, 2020. At the time, ebisa posted four images along with the above one with a text that reads “#Justice for Oromo people in [the] Empire of Ethiopia? #AbiyMustGo.” The post can be accessed using the following link. 

HaqCheck has interrogated the post and confirmed that the picture was not captured during the current crises in the northern part of the country and that it does not support the claim of the persons in the picture partook in the killing. Based on this HaqCheck has rated the above post as FALSE for posting the picture to support the claim. 

Fact Checked by: Hagos Gebreamlak

Edited by: Bruck Negash Teame

The following article is part of HaqCheck, Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking running in five languages (Affan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English)

Editor’s Note: 

The following article was published as part of Addis Zeybe’s multilingual fact checking initiative. As the reconstruction of our website continues, Addis Zeybe would like its readers to note that it will be publishing fact checking articles on a permanent basis in five languages (Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya and English. Addis Zeybe will also be publishing monthly pandemic impact assessment and human rights reports in the coming months.