A Facebook post shared on 26 October 2026, claims to show the aftermath of an attack by Oromo forces on Liban Zone in the Somali Region. The post includes two images of houses and vehicles on fire, accompanied by a Somali text describing intense fighting in the Qarsadulle district. However, a Google reverse image search revealed that one of the images is unrelated to the conflict in Ethiopia.
Deadly armed clashes broke out in the border town of Moyale on 18 October 2026, between forces and militias from Ethiopia's Oromia and Somali regional states. Local media reported an attack in the Liban Zone on the same day the claim emerged. PesaCheck's search of the first image led to an earlier publication linking it to the clashes in Moyale. The BBC published the image on 25 October 2026, in an article about clashes along the Ethiopian border.
A reverse image search of the second image revealed that it is unrelated to the conflict in Ethiopia. Reuters published the image in a February 2012 article about the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan. The caption reads: “Armed uniformed men walk past burning businesses and homesteads in Abyei, central Sudan. South Sudan accused its northern neighbour Sudan on Tuesday of bombing the disputed border town of Jau, killing four soldiers and breaking a non-aggression pact the two former civil war foes signed last week.”
PesaCheck contacted Mohamed Ayanle, a journalist based in Jigjiga, the administrative capital of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State, who provided more information about the October 2026 attack. Ayanle said the attack in Qarsadula was brief and the fighting quickly subsided. However, heavy fighting broke out in the neighbouring Daawa Zone. “There were reported casualties, but it was not a major conflict,” Ayanle said in a WhatsApp message.
According to Kenyan police, hundreds of Ethiopians, mostly women and children, crossed into Kenya through several entry points in Moyale, including Sessi, Kore, Biashara, Foundation, and Miti, to flee fighting in the region. This indicates that the clashes have had a significant impact on the local population, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring Kenya.
PesaCheck has examined the Facebook post with two images claiming to show the aftermath of an attack by Oromo forces on Liban Zone in the Somali Region and found it to be PARTLY FALSE. This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
The fact-check was conducted by PesaCheck Fact-Checker Hassan Istiila 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 a fact-checking organisation that partners with Facebook and similar social media platforms to help sort fact from fiction.
Key points
- One of the images in the Facebook post is unrelated to the conflict in Ethiopia, but rather shows the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.
- The clashes between Oromo forces and Somali regional state forces have resulted in casualties and displaced hundreds of Ethiopians, mostly women and children, who have sought refuge in Kenya.
- PesaCheck's fact-checking process helps to identify and correct misinformation on social media platforms, providing the public with deeper insight and context to posts they see in their feeds.
