The Claim
A TikTok account shared a video clip claiming to show Asres Mare Damtie, one of the leaders of the Fano forces, announcing that the militant group has entered into formal peace negotiations with the Amhara regional government. The post featured an Amharic caption: “Breaking News: It is known that Asres Mare Damtie has started negotiations with the Amhara Regional Government.”
Verdict
The video clip is entirely fabricated and was created using generative artificial intelligence tools. Our forensic analysis uncovered a 99.8% probability that this footage is AI-generated. Therefore, the video does not depict an authentic statement from the Fano leader, nor does it provide any credible evidence of ongoing peace negotiations.
Image 1: A keyframe extracted from the TikTok video that contains the claim under review.
The video gained significant traction shortly after it was published on June 24, 2026, accumulating over 275,000 views, more than 11,000 likes, and over 500 shares. In the footage, the figure representing Asres Mare Damtie addresses the camera directly with the following statement: “Hello, how are you? Currently, we have started negotiations with the Amhara regional government, and we will announce the results soon.”
Investigation & Findings
To verify the authenticity of the footage, MFC analyzed the video’s visual and auditory composition. A keyframe analysis and deepfake assessment were conducted using advanced digital forensic tools.
Our team analyzed the footage using the Hive Moderation AI detection platform to determine whether the video was AI-generated. The platform conducted a rigorous forensic analysis of the video, and the results are unmistakable. First, the tool calculated a 99.8% probability that the footage is AI-generated. Consequently, this near-perfect score leaves virtually no room for doubt about its artificial origin. Additionally, the audio analysis registered an 11.7% likelihood of AI-generated speech, suggesting that both the visual and auditory components may have been synthetically produced. Meanwhile, the deepfake metric returned a 0% probability, which might seem contradictory at first glance.
However, this figure does not undermine the AI-generation finding; instead, it clarifies the method of fabrication. Specifically, the video was not created by swapping one person’s face onto another’s body – a common deepfake technique. Rather, generative AI models constructed the entire footage from scratch. Therefore, this is not a manipulated video of a real person; it is a wholly invented scene that never actually occurred. Ultimately, the footage purporting to show Asres Mare Damtie making a public statement is completely inauthentic. For that reason, the claim built upon this video collapses entirely.
Image 2: A screenshot of the Hive Moderation AI detection tool’s diagnostic results.
The unnaturally rigid posture, synthetic facial mapping, and standard digital anomalies typical of generative AI models confirm that this footage does not depict an authentic statement made by the Fano leader.
Beyond digital forensic verification, there is no evidence of any recent, official peace talks. Neither the leadership of the Fano forces nor the Amhara regional government has issued any press releases or public statements indicating that negotiations are underway. Furthermore, reputable local and international media outlets have published no reports regarding any recent diplomatic dialogue between the two parties.
Context
Asres Mare Damtie is a former Ethiopian lawyer from Bahir Dar who transitioned into armed resistance following a period of civil activism. He currently serves as a member of the central command and executive committee for the Amhara Fano National Force (AFNF), a coalition fighting against federal government forces. In this capacity, he acts as a key political official and spokesperson, managing regional strategy, international press briefings, and political divisions for the insurgent movement.
The circulation of this fake video comes amid prolonged instability and armed conflict within the Amhara region involving local Fano forces and government military structures. Because of the heavy toll the conflict has taken on infrastructure, the local economy, and civilian lives, there has been an increasing surge in public discourse across social media platforms, with citizens, civil society groups, and digital commentators actively calling for peaceful resolutions and formal negotiations.
Disinformation operations frequently exploit these high-stakes public desires. By fabricating a breakthrough in peace talks using a prominent figure’s likeness, the creators of the video sought to capitalize on the public’s widespread demand for an end to the hostilities.
Conclusion
While public pressure for peaceful dialogue in the Amhara region remains exceptionally high, the specific video claiming to show Asres Mare Damtie announcing peace negotiations is completely artificial. The Hive Moderation detection platform subjected the footage to forensic scrutiny and returned a staggering 99.8% probability of AI-generated content. Consequently, this near-perfect score effectively eliminates any reasonable doubt about the video’s authenticity.
Furthermore, the audio analysis registered an 11.7% likelihood of synthetic speech. Meanwhile, the 0% deepfake score clarifies an important distinction: this is not a manipulated video of a real person. Instead, generative AI constructed the entire scene from scratch. Therefore, the footage does not depict an authentic statement from the Fano leader. Likewise, it provides no credible evidence of ongoing negotiations. For these reasons, MFC rates this claim as false.
