On Sep 15, 2022, a person tweeted an image claiming two drones attacked a residential neighborhood in Mekelle, Tigray killing 10 people & injuring others.
However, HaqCheck inspected the image and confirmed that the picture doesn’t show the alleged drone attack. This image was first posted almost three years ago by VOA.
After months of tension, the federal government of Ethiopia and TPLF went to war on Nov 3, 2020.
The federal government allied with other regional government forces removed TPLf from Mekelle and other major Tigay region towns after three weeks of conventional war.
However, the conflict became protracted since TPLF proceeded with guerrilla warfare.
After months, the federal government together with the temporary administration of Tigray declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from most Tigray region towns
Immediately, TPLF forces controlled Tigray’s capital city Mekelle and most parts of Tigray.
The conflict didn’t stop there as TPLF advanced its force towards some adjacent areas of the Amhara and Afar region. TPLF reached and controlled major towns in the Amhara regions, which are very close to Addis Ababa.
As the Ethiopian military and other allied regional forces launched a counterattack against TPLF, the federal government regained the captured areas of the Amhara and Afar regions by TPLF.
On March 24, 2022, the Ethiopian government declared the secession of hostilities. Soon TPLF accepted the declaration.
Peace talks had been underway by a third-party mediator. The African Union assigned its Horn of Africa special envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo to facilitate the peace talks. Obasanjo was a former Nigerian president. He went back and forth to broker the peace process between the two parties.
However, TPLF indicates that it doesn’t have confidence in Obasanjo. TPLF said Obasanjo is incompetent and impartial to facilitate the peace talks between them.
On Aug 16, 2022, TPLF announced that the federal government already violated the cessation of hostilities jointly declared at the end of March. It claimed the armed forces of the federal government fired artillery and attacked its forces.
It further stated that the main intention of the attacks by the federal government was to launch an integrated attack on the western front. On the other hand, the Ethiopian government said TPLF started the war.
Reports of aerial strikes in Mekelle emerged amid the resumed fighting between the TPLF and the Ethiopian government.
It is at this time that the tweet is produced claiming that Ethiopian drones attacked Mekelle and ten people are killed and others injured during the ongoing fighting.
However, Haqcheck looked into the image and confirmed that the image doesn’t prove the claim.
The image was first posted a few months ago on June 30, 2022, by VOA in an article titled “International Commission Calls on Ethiopia to End Violations on Its Territory”.
Thus, HaqCheck rendered the post False due to its use of an inaccurate image to support the claim.
