Fact checks / Public affairs
False
No, the Chief Commissioner of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission, Prof. Mesfin Araya, did not flee to the United States
HaqSemi’s verification found that the claim that Prof. Mesfin Araya abandoned the Dialogue Commission and fled the country is baseless.
False
Prof. Mesfin Araya did not flee the country. He travelled to the United States for his sister’s funeral, and has since returned and is leading the conference.
The claim
Claim being checked
“Dialogue Commission chair Prof. Mesfin Araya has fled to America before the final decision day”
Shared on the Facebook pages Zene Manchester, Ethio Politics Unity and Anchor Media, August [day] 2026
In August [day] 2026, as the national dialogue was drawing to a close, HaqSemi saw posts on Zene Manchester, a Facebook page with more than 7,000 followers, and on the pages Ethio Politics Unity and Anchor Media, claiming that “Dialogue Commission chair Prof. Mesfin Araya has fled to America before the final decision day.” The claim spread quickly, gaining more than 3,000 likes, 600 comments and 160 shares, and caused confusion among social media users.
The evidence
Explain the verification step, what was found and how it affects the claim.
HaqSemi’s verification found that the claim that Prof. Mesfin Araya abandoned the Dialogue Commission and fled the country is baseless.
First, information from the Dialogue Commission confirms that the professor travelled to the United States because of a family emergency (the death of his sister), not to flee the country.
Second, Prof. Mesfin Araya has returned to Ethiopia and attended the conference’s closing ceremony in person, where he is leading the process. In his speech at the conference, he rejected the false claim:
“You have understood the situation I was in. I did not run away from the country; I have never run away from my country, and I have not fled it. Not at my age, and not even 40 years ago, when I was strong, when leaving was possible, and when my brothers abroad told me to ‘come’, did I leave my country. I will spend the rest of my life right here.”
Third, in an official statement on 19 August 2026, the Commission’s Deputy Chief Commissioner, Hirut Gebreselassie, said the Commission had coordinated more than 120 compiling participants, was in the final stage of finalising the dialogue documents for presentation to 4,000 participants, and that the process was running on schedule.
In addition, information we found online shows that the professor was in Maryland, in the United States, to attend the funeral of his sister, Seble Getachew, on 19 August 2026. His name also appears at the bottom of the funeral announcement.
Why it matters
The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission is an independent, impartial institution established by Proclamation No. 1265/2014 to build lasting consensus on the country’s fundamental and contested issues through broad dialogue between the public and political actors.
Its main aim is to reach common ground on contested topics such as the constitution, the form of federalism, historical narratives and boundary questions, and to build a culture of resolving political and social differences through civil, round-table dialogue rather than force.
To achieve this, the Commission organises inclusive dialogue forums at woreda, zone, regional and national level, bringing in political parties, civil society organisations, religious leaders, elders and different parts of society. It then compiles the agendas identified and the recommendations gathered, and presents them to the public and the relevant bodies.
Prof. Mesfin Araya, who leads the institution as Chief Commissioner, is a well-known expert with many years of research experience, and has led the national dialogue process since the Commission was established.
Conclusion
HaqSemi has confirmed that the claim circulating on social media that Prof. Mesfin Araya fled the country is fabricated and false.
Sources
- Zene Manchester, Facebook post, August [day] 2026
- Ethio Politics Unity, Facebook post
- Anchor Media, Facebook post
- Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission, statement by Deputy Chief Commissioner Hirut Gebreselassie, 19 August 2026
- Prof. Mesfin Araya, speech at the conference’s closing ceremony
- Funeral announcement for Seble Getachew, Maryland
Corrections
No corrections have been made to this article. Spotted an error? Request a correction.
