Writer: PesaCheck

This image on Facebook, purportedly of the Cairo Tower in Egypt displaying the Palestine flag, is ALTERED.

The image is accompanied by a text that reads, “Cairo Tower is decorated with the Palestinian flag. Here is Cairo,, here is Palestine.”

The claim was shared amid ongoing armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which broke out on 7 October 2023.

A Google search for the keywords “Cairo Tower images” established the image in question was altered.

The original image is available on Wikimedia Commons with the description, “Cairo Tower at Night.”

It was uploaded on 3 February 2010 and is attributed to Ahmed Santos.

A side by side comparison of the altered image and the original one reveals similarities between the two, including the moon’s shape and position. The background colour of the sky and the outline of the trees at the bottom are other similarities.

The original image is also available on the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) website alongside other images of Cairo Tower, and is attributed to Santos.

There are no reports from a credible source of the Cairo Tower displaying the Palestine flag in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

PesaCheck has looked into an image shared on Facebook purportedly of the Cairo Tower in Egypt displaying the Palestine flag, and finds it to be ALTERED.

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 post ALTERED: This image of Cairo Tower in Egypt displaying the Palestine flag is manipulated appeared first on 211CHECK.

Writer: PesaCheck

This Facebook post with a video claiming a tiny fragment of HIV was added to a COVID-19 vaccine is MISSING CONTEXT.

The post reads, “A tiny fragment of HIV” added to vaccine.”

The video begins with the narrator saying: “Science gone absolutely mad,” while text overlaid on the 44-second clip reads: “Did she just say they added a tiny fragment of hiv? Wtf! We want answers!!! Yes she said HIV.”

Another Facebook post with a screenshot from the video reads, “So whose had the covid jab bet u didn’t now this , wtf (sic)”.

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the video on Yandex established that the person featured at the end of the clip is Keith Chappell, a professor at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia, during a BBC interview.

In the clip, Chappel says that the protein used is of “a highly stable structure” and that there is no risk of “HIV replicating”.

A Google keyword search for “covid vaccine with HIV fragment” established that the UQ and global biotech company CSL were developing a vaccine that included a fragment of an HIV protein with the view of adding stability to the intended antibody target; the spike protein of the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

However, the claim in question leaves out crucial information on the vaccine.

Testing of participants in phase 1 of the trials in July 2020 did not find any evidence of the HIV virus present, and thus participants were not at risk.

Further, the UQ vaccine was abandoned in December 2020 after some trial participants returned false-positive results for HIV. For this reason, the vaccine was not rolled out for use by the general public.

PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post with a video claiming a tiny fragment of HIV was added to a COVID-19 vaccine and finds it to be MISSING CONTEXT.

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 post MISSING CONTEXT: This video claiming a tiny fragment of HIV was added to a COVID-19 vaccine has been misrepresented appeared first on 211CHECK.

Writer: Ochaya Jackson

A viral claim on various online platforms that a military coup took place in Congo-Brazzaville on September 17, 2023, is false.

The news of the alleged coup came after Congo-Brazzaville’s President, Gen. Sassou Ngueso, was reported to have travelled to the United States to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York.

In one instance, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted that there was a military coup in Congo-Brazzaville and added that the country’s president was in the United States.

“There is a military coup in Congo Brazzaville at the moment. Congo President Nguesso is reported to be in [the] US at the moment. He’s been in power for decades. LETS GO!,” reads the post.

The screenshot of the X post about the coup in Congo Brazzaville

A YouTube channel, NED Media, also uploaded a clip about an alleged coup in Congo-Brazzaville on September 17, 2023, featuring a video of soldiers walking alongside moving military vehicles on the street. The video also shows a crowd gathering at the stadium that appears to have been taken in Niger when the public was cheering the military junta that took over power in July 2023.

Additionally, on September 18, 2023, another X user posted that the coup was ongoing and the military was controlling critical facilities in the country’s capital.

“There is a military coup ongoing in Congo Brazzaville. The 79-year-old President Nguesso, who has been in power for a combined 39 years, is reported to be in the US at the moment. The military is taking over key facilities in the country’s capital. According to the preliminary report, the coup is led by the commander of the presidential guard,” the post reads.

The screenshot of the X user tweet about the coup

More posts about the coup were also shared here and here where the post alleges that the commander of Brazzaville’s presidential guard, Serge Obua instigated the coup.

The screenshot of the Facebook post claiming the military coup

Claim Verification:

Following the spread of the claim, the government of Congo-Brazzaville, through the Minister of Communication and Media, Thierry Lézin Moungalla, who also doubles as the Government Spokesperson, issued a statement (archived here) dismissing the coup as fake news.

“Fanciful information suggests serious events are taking place in Brazzaville. The government denies this fake news. We reassure public opinion about the calm that reigns and invite people to calmly go about their activities,” reads the statement published on the government’s website. 

Moungalla also refuted the news of the coup through his X account. 

A consequent keyword search on X returned media reports quoting the Brazzaville government’s spokesperson as dismissing the coup attempt claims. 

A further keyword search on Google for “Congo Brazzaville military coup news” also returned many media sources that quoted Moungalla’s statement. In one report by fact-checking organisation PesaCheck, journalists based in Congo-Brazaville also confirmed no coup on September 17, 2023. 

211 Check also deduced that when a coup happens, it does not take long before the plotters announce themselves to the public, as in the case of Niger and Gabon. 

Additionally, since September 17, 2023, when the coup attempt information started circulating on media spaces, no major announcements of the military takeover or the Brazzaville government foiling an attempted coup have occurred.

The only official statement from the government of Congo-Brazzaville is that the claims about a coup attempt are fake news. 

Conclusion:

211 Check finds the claim that the President of Congo Brazzaville, Gen. Sassou Ngueso, was overthrown in a military coup on September 17, 2023, false.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter.

The post <strong>Fact-check:  Did a military coup take place in Congo-Brazzaville in September 2023?</strong> appeared first on 211CHECK.

Writer: PesaCheck

This poster on Facebook claiming that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is on a recruitment drive is a HOAX.

The National Hospital Insurance Fund changed to National Health Insurance Fund after the amendment of the NHIF Act in 2022.

The advert has the branding of the parastatal and lists more than a dozen job openings which, if filled, will enable the NHIF to implement the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) effectively.

Additional information on the poster is that the positions are “on permanent & pensionable basis to help bridge the gaps between health sector and Kenyan citizen (sic).”

The vacancies are for, among others, clinicians, social workers, community health workers, accountants, nurses, surveyors, supply chain managers, laboratory technicians, secretaries, sales and marketing officers, drivers, and ICT officers.

A similar poster with a different application deadline has been shared in this Facebook publication.

Both posters require the job seekers to be holders of a degree, diploma, or certificate, be Kenyan citizens of legal age, and have experience in what is applied for, among other qualifications.

Further, the poster directs applicants to submit their CVs to a provided Gmail-prefixed address, which raises doubts about its authenticity.

Another red flag is that there is no information about the vacancies in either the Careers section of the NHIF website, on its Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram accounts.

At the time of this debunk, the NHIF had listed eight open positions and none of those in the poster is among them.

Besides, the NHIF directs job seekers to submit applications to nhif.or.ke-prefixed addresses and not Gmail.

The national health insurer, through a post on X (formerly Twitter), disowned the recruitment poster and urged the public to disregard it.

PesaCheck has examined a poster claiming that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is hiring and found it to be a HOAX.

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 post HOAX: This National Health Insurance Fund job advert is a scam appeared first on 211CHECK.

Writer: Kei Emmanuel Duku

A social media picture posted on Juba Eye and Red Pepper UG that has gone viral on Facebook in South Sudan and Uganda is false. 

In the post on Juba Eye, shared on September 25, 2023, the painted dog in Tiger colours is claimed to belong to a resident in the Jebel area of Juba, South Sudan, and police are already searching for the dog’s owner. 

According to the claim, the alleged owner painted his dog in tiger colours to scare away individuals from coming to his home to ask for the loans he had borrowed. 

The post was shared 73 times, with over 1,000 interactions, over 100 comments, and some over 70 shares by social media users. 

The same picture and claim were used by RED Pepper UG on the same day, claiming that the owner of the painted dog is called Mucunguzi from Kyeggwa, and police are already searching for him for painting his dog in tiger colours. This post gained 286 likes, 43 comments, and 18 shares on this platform.

While the two Facebook posts are satirical, 211 Check looks at the origin of the image in the posts.

Claim Verification:  

According to Tineye’s reverse image search, the picture was taken in New Delhi, India, on December 29, 2019, and the dog’s actual owner is Srikant Gowda, a farmer from Karnataka’s Shivamogga region. 

The publication was done in Urdu, but with the help of Google Translate, it indicated that the dog’s owner decided to paint his dog in tiger colours to scare away monkeys destroying his farmland.

Similar searching was done using Google reverse image search, revealing the same results. 

BestNewsGH.com published the story in December 2019 with the headline: A Desperate farmer paints his dog like a tiger to scare away invading monkeys.

Another source that used the picture is here.

Conclusion: 

211 Check found that the photo that is being shared, claiming to be from Juba and Uganda, is false. The picture originated from the Indian state of Urdu and has been online since 2016..

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter

The post <strong>Fact-check: Is this tiger dog from South Sudan or Uganda?</strong> appeared first on 211CHECK.

Writer: Kei Emmanuel Duku 

Video footage posted on Turkana TV, a Facebook page with over 39,000 followers, showing houses burning immigration and customs houses in Nadapal is false.

The video posted on Monday, September 18, 2023, claimed Toposa youth from South Sudan burned immigration and customs offices at the Nadapal border post between South Sudan and Kenya.

The Nadapal belt stretches 25 kilometres (16 mi) southward from the border with South Sudan to Lokichogio in Kenya. The village of Nadapal lies on the road between Narus in South Sudan and Lokichogio. The area has been the scene of violent clashes between Toposa and Turkana pastoralists, traditional rivals. 

In the video, it can be seen clearly that one of the houses is still in flames while the other two, the roof, have been raised down by the fire, but the walls remain. Also, in the video, a group of people could be heard talking in a local language, and another man dressed in a cap and shirt walking. By the time of putting this write-up, the video had gotten 3.9 Views, 22 comments, over 170 interactions and 10 shares. 

Claim Verification:

A day after the post was made, Eye Radio quoted the Commissioner of Kopoeta East in Eastern Equatorial State, Abdalla Angelo, who confirmed that there was “NO” fighting between the Trukana of Kenya and Toposa youths from South Sudan in the bordering town of Nadapal. 

He, however, confirmed that some youth from the Turkana tribe of Kenya came to Nadapal to do a honey feast, but they didn’t completely put off the fire they had used for harvesting the honey and, in the process, burning some houses.

No credible media reported about the incident, and a search using Google Lens showed that only Turkana TV shared the video and the news.

Alternatives towards Peace: 

The two pastoral communities have been in conflict for a long time, resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of properties, but mid-this year, officials from the Kenyan Government paid a visit to Torit, Eastern Equatoria State Capital, to find lasting solutions to the conflict 

Similarly, as a way to foster unity among the two communities, Williams S. Ruto, President of Kenya and his counterpart Slava Kiir from South Sudan agreed to implement joint Infrastructural projects along the border to facilitate trade, movement of labour and unity between the two conflict troubled communities 

Conclusion: 

211 Check found the claim in video footage posted by The Turkana TV on Facebook that South Sudanese youth burned immigration and customs houses at Nadapal false.

Kapoeta East County Commissioner says some houses were burnt by fire that wasn’t completely put off following a honey feast by visitors in the area.

A publication under 211 Check’s ‘Fact-check for a pay’ Initiative with Support from the International Fact-checking Network through the BUILD grant.

To ensure accuracy and transparency, we at 211 Check welcome corrections from our readers. If you spot an error in this article, please request a correction using this form. Our team will review your request and make the necessary corrections immediately, if any.

It’s vital to fight misinformation and disinformation in the media by avoiding fake news. Don’t share content you’re uncertain about. False information can harm and mislead people, risking their lives—Fact-check before sharing. For more details, visit https://211check.org/ or message us on WhatsApp at +211 917 298 255. #FactsMatter

The post <strong>Fact-check: South Sudanese youth didn’t burn houses at the Nadapal border post last week</strong> appeared first on 211CHECK.