Does the video show Ethiopian soldiers beating up civilians in Amhara region?

An X (Twitter) user with over 14,000 followers shared a video claiming that it showed Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) soldiers recently beating up civilians in the Amhara region.

The post on X was viral across the platform and was viewed by over 12 thousand users. It was reposted over 400 times and gained over 329 reactions by the time this article was published.

However, HaqCheck inspected the post and found that the video was old and doesn’t support the claim. Therefore, HaqCheck rendered the claim False.

The Amhara region of Ethiopia is in the midst of an armed conflict between government forces and Fano militia groups. The conflict began when the government ordered regional paramilitary forces to disarm and join other security forces. As a result, militia groups took control of parts of the region, leading the Ethiopian federal government to declare a state of emergency.

After a counteroffensive, the government managed to recapture major urban areas from Fano militants. However, reports indicate that armed clashes and confrontations continued in the region.

On Aug 11, 2023, reports and social media posts indicated that hundreds of people were killed in the ongoing conflict in Amhara region.

Against this backdrop, a post emerged on X sharing a video alleging that Ethiopian soldiers were beating up and harrassing Amhara civilians in the region.

HaqCheck investigated the claim to see if the video supports the claim. However,  HaqCheck discovered the video previously posted on X (Twitter) on May 13, 2021. The video was originally shared with a description that Ethiopian army soldiers were beating up and terrorizing Tigrayan civilians during the armed conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray people’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces.

Therefore, HaqCheck rated the post False due to its usage of an old and inaccurate video.

HaqCheck reached out to the person who made the claim to get more information, but the claimant didn’t reply until this article was published.