A recent social media post shared images purporting to show the aftermath of Ethiopian warplanes bombing the Tigray region in September 2026. The post, which included Somali text, claimed that the bombing was part of an ongoing conflict in the country. However, a fact-check by PesaCheck found that the images were not from September 2026, but rather from October 2021.
PesaCheck conducted a Google reverse image search, which led them to the original image captured in October 2021 in Mekele, Tigray's capital. The image was published by CBS News in an article titled "Ethiopian leader calls on citizens to defend his government as Tigray rebels make gains." The caption reads that the image shows "people in front of clouds of black smoke from fires in the aftermath of an airstrike in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, Oct. 20, 2021."
A second image shared in the post was also found to be from October 2021. A Google reverse image search led PesaCheck to an AP article published in October 2021, which captioned the image as "people run next to black smoke and flames in the aftermath at the scene of an airstrike in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021….(AP Photo)."
The images were shared on September 8, 2026, as Ethiopian government forces conducted an airstrike in MyShumet, near Freweyni in the Hintalo District of southeastern Tigray. This airstrike occurred as armed groups from various parts of the country were discussing the formation of a broader alliance against the government.
About two weeks after the airstrike, seven rebel groups, including Tigrayan forces and an ONLF faction led by Somali politicians, announced a new coalition seeking to oust Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The images, however, were not from this incident, but rather from an airstrike that occurred over a year earlier.
PesaCheck is part of an ongoing series of fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms. By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction.
The fact-check was written by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Hassan Istiila and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editors Mary Mutisya and Cédrick Irakoze. 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 images shared as aftermath of September 2026 Tigray airstrikes were actually taken in October 2021.
- PesaCheck conducted a Google reverse image search to verify the authenticity of the images.
- The fact-check is part of PesaCheck's ongoing series examining content marked as potential misinformation on social media platforms.
