False: the picture doesn’t show an image of a fresh incursion by TPLF forces

A Telegram post emerged in a Telegram channel with over four thousand members claiming in a post that Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces opened a new attack in the Tigray-Amhara border areas.

The claim appeared amid fear of a resumption of war between the TPLF and federal-led forces.

However, HaqCheck interrogated the image and confirmed that it doesn’t show a new military engagement between the belligerents.

The protracted war between the TPLF and the federal government and its allied forces has remained unsolved.

A humanitarian truce was declared by the federal government and was also adopted by the TPLF a few months ago. This was seen as a glimmer of hope and a window of opportunity for peace talks and peaceful resettlement of the armed conflict.

There was also an unconfirmed report that Debretsion Gebremichael, TPLF chairman, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy directly talked to one another over the phone after the truce was announced.

In audio released on YouTube, a senior military leader of the TPLF armed forces disclosed that there were direct talks and stated that he and Tadesse Werede met Birhanu Jula, chief staff of ENDF in Mauritius.

Asked, Birhanu Jula denied the claim that he met with the senior TPLF military leaders.

TPLF has been stating that if the diplomatic means to end the war fail, it will resort to other means indicating that it will seek military means. TPLF has been accusing the federal government and regional authorities of blocking aid from entering Tigray and has complained the aid that has recently reached was below that need.

A week ago Prime Minister Abiy visited the ENDF forces in the town of Humera and observed its status.

Meanwhile, public conferences have been conducted in Tigray in many towns. Senior TPLF leaders including Debretsion Gebremichael, Fetleweerk Gebregziabher, Getachew Reda, and Alem Gebrewahd led the public forums and made speeches.

In a meeting in Mekelle on May 10, 2022, Debretsion Gebremichael said that the peaceful means to resolve the war has already been exhausted and called on the people to prepare for the ‘final stage’.

Reports of incursions have also appeared and there is a fear that a full military engagement may resume.

In this background, a Telegram post came out claiming that there was an incursion around the border areas between the Amhara and Tigray regional states. The post used an image in a bid to prove the claim.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image was old and doesn’t prove the claim. The image was taken during the Ethio-Eritrea border war two decades ago and was published in 2019. It was used in an article written about the evolution of the Ethiopia-Eritrea relations from the border war to the recent rapprochement.

The same image was also falsely used in a YouTube video released in June 2021 claiming that TPLF forces struck ‘enemy forces’.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the claim FALSE due to the usage of an inaccurate picture.

Published by

Hagos Gebreamlak

Hagos is a senior fact-checker at HaqCheck. He has worked for Fortune as a reporter previously.

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