On Sep 13, 2022, a person tweeted an image claiming Ethiopian drones attacked Mekelle and that one key leader of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was executed. The tweet had been retweeted 703 times at the time this article was published.
However; haqCheck confirmed that the image doesn’t show a recent drone attack during the ongoing war. The image is taken from a YouTube video titled, Netherlands Apache strike in Afghanistan. This video was uploaded on March 2, 2008.
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 humanitarian 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 their force towards some adjacent areas of the Amhara and Afar region. TPLF reached and controlled major Amhara towns, 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 secession of hostilities. Soon TPLF accepted the declaration.
Peace talks had been on the way 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 bring peace between the two parties.
However, TPLF announced 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. The TPLF said that the armed forces of the federal government fired artillery and attacked its forces.
It further announced 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 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 more than a decade ago on March 2, 2008, titled Netherlands Apache strike in Afghanistan.
Thus, HaqCheck rendered the post False due to its use of an inaccurate image to support the claim.