March 8, 2022

The image doesn’t show recent rally at Chelenko

HAQCHECK

HaqCheck rated the post False.

Avatar: Mikiyas Kumlachew
By Mikiyas Kumlachew

Mikiyas is a fact checking intern at HaqCheck.

The image doesn’t show recent rally at Chelenko

A Facebook page with more than 46 thousand followers shared an image titled, “Menelik's brutality is remembered today at Chelenko" on March 2, 2022, the day the 126th victory of Adwa is celebrated in Addis Ababa. The post had about one thousand reactions, was shared more than 217 times with more than 200 comments by the time this article was published. 

However, HaqCheck fact-checked the claim and confirmed that the picture was taken from the Oromian Economist website published in 2015 used in another context. 

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post False.

 

The 126th Victory of Adwa was celebrated on Mar 2  all over Ethiopia. In Addis Ababa, the victory commemoration was celebrated with various activities at Menilik Square and Adwa Bridge. 

Oromo protests claim martyrs have laid down their lives for the sake of freedom, independence, justice, and human dignity in the battle of Chelenqo. The Chelenqo Massacre Memorial Monument was inaugurated on March 21, 2015, in East Hararghe. 

The Battle of Chelenqo was an engagement fought on 9 January 1887 between the army of Shewa under Negus Menelik and Emir 'Abd Allah II ibn 'Ali 'Abd ash-Shakur of Harar. Menelik King of Shewa invaded the Emirate of Harar after his victory at the Battle of Chelenqo.

Oromian Economist used the picture in its article entitled, “The Calanqoo Massacre Memorial Monument Inaugurated 21st March 2015”, a news report on the inauguration of the monument, along with other pictures and videos of the event. 

Hence, HaqCheck confirmed that the image used to support the claim is not related to the subject under discussion, in addition to its being old, and rated it FALSE.