A recent Facebook post circulating in Kenya claims to show Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters captured in Welkait in September 2026. The Amharic post alleges that TPLF militants opened fire along the Afar border and launched attacks against the Afar militia and special forces. According to the post, over 300 TPLF militants were reportedly captured in Welkait. However, a thorough investigation by PesaCheck has found the claim to be missing context.
PesaCheck, a fact-checking initiative based in East Africa, has verified that the image in the Facebook post is not from September 2026. In fact, the photo has been online since 2021 and shows TPLF forces captured by Ethiopian forces. The image was published on the official Facebook page of the FDRE Defense Force on 14 May 2021. This suggests that the claim of TPLF militants being captured in Welkait in September 2026 may be inaccurate.
Further investigation by PesaCheck found that on 1 August 2026, Ethiopian federal and Tigrayan forces clashed in western Tigray. Reports indicated that federal forces opened fire at dawn, advancing from the direction of Shererina, near the Sudanese border. However, there are social media reports that TPLF forces opened fire in areas bordering the Afar region, and that 300 TPLF soldiers were captured in Welkait.
Despite these social media reports, no legacy media outlets have confirmed the incidents in Welkait. Instead, Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported that 300 fighters of the TPLF surrendered to Ethiopian National Defense Forces at the Tekeze River on 18 September 2026. This conflicting information highlights the need for verification of claims circulating on social media.
PesaCheck's investigation used Google reverse image search to establish the origin of the photo in the claim. The results confirmed that the image has been online since 2021 and shows TPLF forces captured by Ethiopian forces. This finding underscores the importance of fact-checking and verifying information before sharing it on social media.
As part of its efforts to combat misinformation, PesaCheck is working with Facebook and similar social media platforms to sort fact from fiction. The initiative provides the public with deeper insight and context into posts they see in their social media feeds. PesaCheck's fact-checking methodology involves verifying information through multiple sources before confirming its accuracy.
The fact-check was written by a PesaCheck fact-checker based in Ethiopia and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Mary Mutisya and chief copy editor Stephen Ndegwa. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor Doreen Wainainah. PesaCheck is East Africa's first public finance fact-checking initiative, co-founded by Catherine Gicheru and Justin Arenstein.
Key points
- The image in the Facebook post is from 2021 and shows TPLF forces captured by Ethiopian forces.
- The claim of TPLF militants being captured in Welkait in September 2026 may be inaccurate.
- PesaCheck is working with social media platforms to combat misinformation.
