Photos show Honduran migrants trying to enter Guatemala, not post-election violence in Uganda

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 21, 2021 at 16:35
1 min read
By Mary KULUNDU, AFP Kenya

A post shared dozens of times on Facebook claims to show violent clashes between civilians and security forces in Uganda following the recent presidential election. The claim is false; the images are of a caravan of Honduran migrants who were blocked by Guatemalan soldiers upon entering the country.

“Happening now in Uganda #UgandaDecides 2021,” reads a post published on January 18, 2021.

A screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on January 20, 2021

The same claim was shared in other Facebook posts here and here.

Tensions during Uganda’s presidential election last week led to the harassment and arrest of opposition members, attacks on the media, a government-imposed internet blackout, and at least 54 deaths, as AFP reported here. The pop-star-turned politician Bobi Wine campaigned to defeat Uganda’s long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Despite poll violence, the images being shared in this Facebook post are not from Uganda.

A screenshot of EFE showing Honduran migrant caravan, taken on January 21, 2021

A reverse image search shows the photos were taken in Guatemala by the Spanish news service Agencia EFE; see originals here, here and here.

The images depict a large caravan of Honduran migrants who were tear-gassed by Guatemalan soldiers on January 18, 2021, when they entered the country on their journey to the United States.

AFP covered the story here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail