The photo does not show Ethiopia's envoy to Sudan but an actress

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 3, 2020 at 16:23
2 min read
By Adeng MAYIK, AFP Kenya

A photo of a woman has been shared on social media in Sudan purporting to show Ethiopia's new ambassador to Sudan. But the claim is false: the image features Ethiopian actress, Hanan Tarik.

The photo, which was posted in this Facebook group on July 29, 2020, shows a woman in an office with the Ethiopian flag in the background. “Sudanese people will now pour all the water they have in their fridges into the dam for the new Ethiopian ambassador to Sudan,” reads the English translation of the Arabic caption.

Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post taken on July 31, 2020

The claim appears to make a tongue-in-cheek reference to the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The dam on the Blue Nile has been a source of tension between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, as AFP has extensively reported including here.

Ethiopia's downstream neighbours worry the dam will restrict vital water supplies. They are especially concerned about what might happen should there be a drought while Ethiopia is still filling the reservoir, a process that will take several years.

AFP map of east Africa showing the Nile and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

The false Facebook claim was also shared here, here, here and here, referencing the woman's looks and the Nile.

“Feel free to take the whole Nile,” read one comment. “Take our water, we don’t want to drink,” said another. Others said that it was a “great thing to have young officials, better than the older ones in our government”.

Not the ambassador

But the claim is false. In reality, the photo shows Ethiopian actress and former beauty queen Hanan Tarik.

Screenshot of Hanan Tarik’s Instagram post, taken on August 2, 2020

A reverse image search led to an Instagram post on Hanan’s official account explaining that she had signed a deal to promote a cosmetics brand.

“Today I'm honored to announce that I have signed with NHY to be the brand ambassador for one of the leading import and export companies in Ethiopia to represent internationally recognized brands like M.A.C. Cosmetics and DIAGEO” wrote Tarik.

Screenshot of Hanan Tarik Instagram post, taken on July 31, 2020

The current Ethiopian ambassador to Sudan is Yibeltal Aemero who assumed diplomatic duties in Khartoum on July 23, 2020.

The embassy shared a post about his appointment on its official Facebook page.

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