Does the image show an ongoing armed uprising in Gojjam, Amhara region?

On June 20 and 21, 2023, an image was shared on Twitter with a claim that it shows an ongoing armed uprising in the towns of Debre Markos, Dembecha, and Amanuel in Gojjam, Amhara region. The claim stated that the popular uprising followed after Ethiopian army soldiers killed two people in the Amanuel town which is located between Debre Markos and Dembecha. It also alleged that the angered people engaged and destroyed the Ethiopian troops in the area.

The image was viral on Twitter and it was shared many times. The image was also shared by other users on Twitter with the same claim.

However, HaqCheck confirmed that the image was old and doesn’t show an ongoing armed uprising in Gojjam, Amhara.

After the Ethiopian government began demobilizing regional special police forces, there have been resistance and clashes in the Amhara region.

Additionally, a former leader of the Addis Ababa-based Balderas Party Eskindir Nega, recently announced that he formed a military organization named Amhara Popular Force to wage an armed resistance against the Ethiopian government.

The Amhara regional state was embroiled in widespread protest and armed clashes between the Ethiopian government’s armed forces and informal armed militias.

News reports indicate that many people have been killed in the regional state in recent armed confrontations.

Recent conflicts and protests were also reported in East and West Gojjam zones of the region in which protesters were killed by security personnel and armed militias killed Ethiopian army soldiers. 

There was recent civil unrest in the towns of Denbecha, Jiga, and Finote Selam in Gojjam, Amhara regional state and it was followed by a skirmish between unidentified armed groups and government security forces that caused the death of three people and injury of over 20 individuals.

In this context, an image circulated on Twitter claiming that there was an ongoing armed uprising in the towns of Debre Markos, Dembecha, and Amanuel in Gojjam, Amhara region, and the people managed to engage and destroy the Ethiopian troops in the area.

However, the image was old and doesn’t show an ongoing armed uprising in Gojjam, Amhara.

The original picture was published for the first time on Facebook on Nov 14, 2020. The original image was shared with a description that it shows militiamen in the Baso Liben woreda, East Gojjam zone, Amhara region.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the claim as False due to its usage of an inaccurate image.