A post on the blog Premium Times claims Pope Francis, the head of the worldwide Roman Catholic church, has said Biafra’s independence from Nigeria is the “will of God” and the United Nations should “do something”.
Biafra is a region in south-eastern Nigeria. Its secession in 1967 sparked a civil war, and calls for its independence from sympathisers continue.
The blog Premium Times – www.premiumtimenews.com – should not be confused with the established Nigerian newspaper Premium Times – www.premiumtimesng.com.
The 12 October 2019 blog post shows a photo of the pope, apparently taken mid-speech.
A TinEye reverse image search reveals the photo was first published online at least four years ago, in 2015.
And there’s no evidence that Pope Francis has made any statement about Biafra.
The claim was not found on any of the pope’s or the Vatican’s official social media accounts, or covered by any credible news sites.
Africa Check debunked an earlier claim that Pope Francis “endorse Biafra”, in August 2019. We have also found claims that global leaders, countries and organisations support the secession of Biafra from Nigeria to be unfounded. – Jennifer Ojugbeli
Further reading:
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-21-african-countries-havent-declared-support-for-independent-biafra/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-video-does-not-show-un-vowed-to-expel-nigeria-over-biafras-independence/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-evidence-german-president-expressed-support-for-biafra-secession-from-nigeria/
https://africacheck.org/spot-check/bill-gates-has-not-pledged-2bn-to-biafra-when-it-becomes-a-nation/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-evidence-us-russia-israel-and-france-approve-biafras-separation-from-nigeria/
https://africacheck.org/spot-check/no-world-bank-isnt-setting-up-a-central-bank-of-biafra/
Biafra is a region in south-eastern Nigeria. Its secession in 1967 sparked a civil war, and calls for its independence from sympathisers continue.
The blog Premium Times – www.premiumtimenews.com – should not be confused with the established Nigerian newspaper Premium Times – www.premiumtimesng.com.
No evidence of already debunked claim
The 12 October 2019 blog post shows a photo of the pope, apparently taken mid-speech.
A TinEye reverse image search reveals the photo was first published online at least four years ago, in 2015.
And there’s no evidence that Pope Francis has made any statement about Biafra.
The claim was not found on any of the pope’s or the Vatican’s official social media accounts, or covered by any credible news sites.
Africa Check debunked an earlier claim that Pope Francis “endorse Biafra”, in August 2019. We have also found claims that global leaders, countries and organisations support the secession of Biafra from Nigeria to be unfounded. – Jennifer Ojugbeli
Further reading:
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-21-african-countries-havent-declared-support-for-independent-biafra/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-video-does-not-show-un-vowed-to-expel-nigeria-over-biafras-independence/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-evidence-german-president-expressed-support-for-biafra-secession-from-nigeria/
https://africacheck.org/spot-check/bill-gates-has-not-pledged-2bn-to-biafra-when-it-becomes-a-nation/
https://africacheck.org/fbcheck/no-evidence-us-russia-israel-and-france-approve-biafras-separation-from-nigeria/
https://africacheck.org/spot-check/no-world-bank-isnt-setting-up-a-central-bank-of-biafra/
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
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You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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