A Facebook page with over 120 thousand followers posted an image on Dec 5, 2022, claiming that the Ethiopian government conducted an aerial strike, which killed many civilians, in Begi, a place in the West Wollega zone of Oromia region. Besides, it claimed that Oromia Special Police Force members were also attacked in the air strike.
At the moment this article was published, the post was shared close to forty times on the same platform.
Yet, HaqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show a recent air attack the Ethiopian government carried out in the place in the West Wollega zone of Oromia. Thus, the post was rated False.
War has been raging in the Oromia regional state between the Oromo Liberation Army, an armed group addressed by the government as Shene, and the Ethiopian government.
Civilians have been killed in aerial attacks conducted by the Ethiopian government in the Oromia region.
A drone attack the Ethiopian government carried out in the town of Mendi, in the West Wollega zone on Nov 9, 2022, killed at least 20 civilians.
Recently conflict broke out in Wollega, Oromia, particularly in the Amhara-Oromia border areas. Social media posts claimed that many civilians died from violence in the ongoing conflict.
It is within this context a Facebook post emerged sharing an image with a claim that a recent aerial attack by the Ethiopian government in the West Wollega zone of Oromia killed many civilians.
Nonetheless, the image doesn’t support the claim civilians were killed during a recent air attack in the town of Begi.
The image is old and taken from a previous online publication. The image was taken from an article published on a website in November 2015.Therefore, HaqCheck concluded that the image doesn’t prove the claim and rated the post as False.
