A colossal social media campaign regarding the security situation in Ethiopia is being recorded. The campaign predominantly highlights the escalating tensions in the country, utilizing various footage regardless of their legitimacy.
Notably, since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ethiopia and the breakaway Somaliland in January 2024, there has been a surge in social media content focusing on Ethiopia’s security situation. Furthermore, some social media accounts that previously concentrated on different issues now cover the situation in Ethiopia.
A Twitter account with more than 10 thousand followers shared a post on September 8, 2024, claiming there was sporadic gunfire in the capital, captioned “The situation in Addis is worsening following an attack on the city by Fano forces. The ENDF (Ethiopian National Defense Force) is attempting to regain the area’s control.”
By the time this article was published, the post had more than 60 thousand views and received attention on Twitter. However, HaqCheck investigated the claim and proved the video to be False.
Link
The ongoing war in the Amhara region.
In April 2023, the Ethiopian federal government announced that regional special force units should be disbanded and merged. The Ethiopian federal government gives the regional paramilitary forces options to join: the national army (ENDF), the regional or federal police, the prison guard department, or the anti-riot force, or to leave the discipline and live a normal life. This government decision triggered tension and conflict with Fano militants in the region.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said last month that negotiations took place with armed militias in the Amhara region to resolve the ongoing conflict there peacefully. A spokesperson for Fano, an ethnic Amhara militia, denied holding talks with the federal government.
The shootout incident took place in the capital in April 2024.
Around the Bole sub-city, a gunfire incident happened in the capital Addis Ababa on April 20, 2024. According to the report by the Addis Ababa police, the arrested and killed militants are Nahusenay Andarge, Abenezer Gashaw, and Habtamu Andarge.
According to different reports, these militants are members of the Fano militia group, which is currently fighting in the region with the government. One of those killed was a civilian, while the other two were members of the group. According to the news report released by the police and state media, two police members were also injured.
An alleged video was also circulating on social media to show the shooting incident in Addis Ababa.
However, a search on social media reveals that the video was shared on May 5, 2023, with the caption “In the middle of Gondar town #AmharaUnderAttack”.
Post link
HaqCheck also tried locating the buildings and statues in the video using satellite imagery tools.
In the 00:17 seconds of the video, a statue is seen with green, yellow, and red colors. A search on hotels in Gondar also brings similar footage including the statue and the building in front of it. The same architectural buildings seen at 00:08 second of the video are also discovered using satellite imagery and hotel searches.
Link
The statue is seen in the video
Satellite imagery and video tour footage.
Because of these reasons, HaqCheck rated the post false.
