By Kirubel Tesfaye
Claim
An image appeared online in October claiming that Ethiopian soldiers are 45 km away from the Red Sea. The image quickly gained traction, receiving more than 18 thousand likes in a single day.
Verdict
The image claiming to show Ethiopian military is false. MFC determined that the image was AI-generated. Our team traced similar fabricated claims using identical captions and nearly identical backgrounds and positioning, which falsely portrayed Awol Arba as President of the Afar Region, located 45 km from the Red Sea.
Investigation and Findings
On October 25, 2025, a Facebook page named Macammad Habib Qasirre, with over 168 thousand followers posted a claim that the Ethiopian defense force was 45km away from the Red Sea in Afar region, Bure. The image shows a military personnel along with a military vehicle.
However, the MFC team analyzed the image using multiple online AI-detection tools, including AI or Not and others. The results showed a very high probability that the image was AI-generated.
1) Hugging Face AI Image Detector: The MFC team used the Hugging Face AI Image Detector to examine the authenticity of the image. The tool gave a result that the image is 100% AI.
2) AI or Not Result: Additionally, the team uploaded the image into the aiornot.com tool, and the result indicated that it is “Likely AI generated and Deepfake.”
Conclusion
Reports have highlighted tense exchanges between the Ethiopian government and neighboring countries, including Eritrea and Somalia. In addition, some officials were said to have traveled to the region, further fueling speculation about heightened political and security dynamics.
However, the image circulated to substantiate these claims does not withstand scrutiny. MFC’s investigation confirmed that the image was artificially generated using AI technology. The team also identified similar fabricated visuals that reused identical captions and nearly indistinguishable backgrounds and positioning, underscoring a pattern of misinformation. Hence, MFC rates this claim as False based on its investigation and findings.
Context
Bure is a small area about 80 km (50 miles) west of Asseb. It sits on the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. Both countries claim it. It also lies on the Awash-Asseb highway, an important trucking route.
At the same time, Ethiopian officials have said the country needs access to a coastline. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeated that Ethiopia must secure a route to the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean. He has also urged neighboring countries to start talks. In a recent televised address, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that if peaceful negotiations fail and Eritrea chooses to pursue war with Ethiopia, the country is fully prepared and, according to him, the outcome is already certain.
Soon after, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Egypt. This came right after Abiy’s strong remarks about gaining Red Sea access through Assab. In Cairo, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed support for Eritrea’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to MFC’s assessment, the viral claim emerged in the middle of these rising tensions.
