FALSE: These vehicles are not carrying weapons entering Galmudug State, Somalia
The vehicles were carrying aid for flood-affected people in Beledweyne in 2019.
This Facebook post with an image claiming to show three vehicles with weapons entering Galmudug State in 2024 is FALSE.
Galmudug State is located north of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, situated between Ethiopia to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east.
The Somali text accompanying the post translates to: “Three vehicles carrying weapons have passed through peacefully. The talks about these vehicles started yesterday. Reports indicate heavy army vehicles escorted the vehicles. This follows a few days ago when weapons were robbed in Abudwak. What do you think about the weapons flowing to Galmudug State and what can cause stability?”
Similar images were shared on Facebook, here and here.
Somali government forces and local militias fought over two truckloads of weapons in the Abudwak District of the Galgadud region in central Somalia on 15 July 2024 as seen here, here, here, and here.
The Somali government stated that security forces had seized the ammunition from “illegal weapons traders” and were escorting them when armed militias intercepted in Abudwak District.
Abudwak is located along the Ethiopia-Somalia border, 600 km northwest of Mogadishu.
Google reverse image search results showed that the image has been available online since 2019.
Daljir Media published the image on 8 November 2019 in an article titled “Aid for Beledweyne Left Galkayo Today (Photos).”
The image also appeared in a video on YouTube and this website.
PesaCheck conducted a keyword search to determine whether three more vehicles carrying weapons entered Galmudug State and found no credible source supporting the claim.
The sticker attached to the trucks displays the Puntland state flag at the top, the Somalia flag at the bottom, and words expressing solidarity with those affected by the flooding in Beledweyne Town.
The three trucks are loaded with relief aid, including food, medicine, and other supplies collected from the people of Galkayo, intended for those affected by flooding in Beledweyne Town in the Hiiraan region.
Reports indicate the floods in October and November 2019 displaced an estimated 240,000 people in the central Somali town of Beledweyne.
PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post with an image claiming to show three vehicles carrying weapons entering Galmudug State in 2024 and found it to be 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.
By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.
Have you spotted what you think is fake or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.
This fact-check was written 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’s managing editor Doreen Wainainah.
