Claim: Al Ain Amharic reports Ethiopia ranked 93rd globally in passport power, citing Henley Passport Index data, with France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Spain leading the list

Verdict: False. Henley Passport Index for 2024 ranks Singapore first with France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain tied for second place. Ethiopia is ranked 94th not 93rd.

On July 7, 2024, Al Ain Amharic, a digital media outlet owned by a UAE company and based in Addis Ababa shared information on its Facebook page claiming that France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Japan, and Spain all share the first place in the Henley Passport Index rank.

The post also stated that Ethiopia is ranked 93rd globally. This post was shared on Al Ain Amharic Facebook page which has over 730,000 followers and received 621 reactions, 34 comments and 24 shares by the time this article was published. (read more here)

Henley Passport Index is a globally recognized ranking that measures a country’s passport power based on visa free travel access. It utilizes data from the IATA (International Air Transport Association) to compare 199 passports to 227 destinations. 

The claim that France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Spain all place the first position in the Henley Passport Index rankings is false.

MFC examined the original source of Henley Passport Index and found that the 2024 global ranking places Singapore at the top with a visa free score of 195. France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain are not in the first position but instead ranked second with a visa free score of 194. Therefore, the claim that these countries are tied for the first place is incorrect.

Al Ain Amharic also reported that Ethiopia is ranked 93rd globally in the Henley Passport Index. However, according to the Henley Passport Index’s 2024 global rankings, Ethiopia actually shares the 94th rank with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

MFC’s examination of the Henley Passport Index’s original data reveals that Al Ain Amharic’s report contains false information. The accurate rankings for 2024 place Singapore in the first position followed by France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain in the second place. Additionally, Ethiopia is ranked 94th globally not 93rd as reported by Al Ain Amharic.

It is crucial for media outlets to ensure the accuracy of their information to maintain public trust and avoid the spread of misinformation.

Readers are encouraged to verify information from credible sources before sharing and to report any misinformation to [email protected]

Context

In Ethiopia, obtaining a passport is challenging and frustrating. Long wait times due to application backlogs and corruption have created a system that felt inefficient and unfair (read here).

According torecent statement of Selamawit Dawit, Director of the Immigration and Citizenship Service, people currently face a maximum wait time of two months to obtain a passport, unless they opt for urgent service (watch here).

The post Al Ain Misrepresents Henley Passport Index Data appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: An X account shared a video with the caption “Breaking: Fano/Amhara forces captured 100+ ENDF Oromo soldiers after several days of fighting.”

Verdict: False.

On June 5, 2024, an X account named Amhara News Service, with over 14,200 followers, shared a video with the caption “Breaking; Fano/Amhara forces captured 100+ ENDF Oromo soldiers after several days of fighting.” The post was retweeted over 190 times and received more than 31,000 views. The tweet garnered over 170 reposts, over 478 likes, and more than 33,000 views by the time this article was published.

However, the footage is actually from the “Northern Ethiopia war” (the war in Tigray ), which erupted on November 3, 2020, between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The war ended on November 2, 2022, when a peace agreement, commonly called the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed by both parties in Pretoria, South Africa.

MFC examined the video using reverse image search tools. However, due to the low quality of the video, finding its source through reverse image search proved difficult.

To further investigate, we searched YouTube using the Amharic keyword “የተማረኩ” (Captured). This led us to a video clip containing the same footage as the one shared on X.

The video was shared on a YouTube channel named Marda Times on Sep 25, 2022. 

Based on this information, the post shared by the X account claiming that the video shows 100+ ENDF (Ethiopian National Defense Force) soldiers captured by Fano is false.

Context

The conflict in the Amhara region, which began in April 2023, is part of a broader pattern of instability and violence in Ethiopia. The conflict was triggered by the Ethiopian military’s raid on the Amhara region to disarm regional forces and the Fano militiamen. This action sparked resistance and clashes with the Fano militiamen, who claimed to capture towns in the region forcing the federal government to take further military action. The situation remains tense, leading to death of civilians, causing significant damage to properties, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. This post, which falsely claims to show footage of a conflict in the Amhara region, is part of a larger trend of misinformation and disinformation circulating online in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.

The post Shared Video Misrepresents the Conflict in the Amhara Region appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: An X account claimed that “members of the 51st Regiment were destroyed in today’s battle and that the pictured individuals were captured during an operation in Gondar.”

Verdict: False. The image is outdated and unrelated to the current conflict in Amhara.

An X account named “የአማራ ፋኖ ጠቅላይ እዝ Official Page!” with over 21,000 followers shared an image with an Amharic caption in which a soldier appears to narrate that they could not anymore fight against the Fano militiamen and members of the 51st Regiment were destroyed in a battle. The tweet gave an impression also that the pictured individual(s) was (were) captured during an operation in Gondar, a city located to the north of the Amhara Regional State. The post received over 87 retweets and 8,000 views(see image below).

However, the image is outdated and unrelated to the ongoing conflict in Amhara Region – the conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Ethiopian government and Fano militants. MFC observed that the aforementioned Twitter account repeatedly spreads disinformation.

Three weeks ago, on May 2, the same image was shared by a Facebook account named Mereja Tv, which has over 1.2 million followers. The post claimed that the image was related to the current conflict in Amhara, which is untrue (see image below).

However, this image too is outdated and unrelated to the current conflict in Amhara.

A Google Reverse Image Search reveals the image was first shared on social media on October 30, 2021, by a social media account named Stalin Gebreselassie. This individual is known for expressing support for the TPLF/TDF – a political party and an armed group – during the war in Tigray region of Ethiopia. Currently, he is based in Washington DC, USA, and works at Zara Media Network, a media that he reportedly founded. 

Based on the result of the tool we used, MFC confirmed that the image shared by the X account claiming that “members of the 51st Regiment were destroyed in today’s battle and that the pictured individual(s) was (were) captured during an operation in Gondar” is false. 

Context

The conflict in Amhara Regional State began in April 2023 when the Ethiopian military raided the Amhara region to disarm regional special forces and Fano militias – who disregarded the government’s announcement of disarming and integrating them into its formal security forces. This sparked resistance with the Fano Militiamen, finally leading to clashes with the federal government’s military forces. The situation remains tense, which has been resulting in death of civilians, causing significant damage to properties, and displacing hundreds of thousands people. Thus, the post has been circulating in this context. 

The post Image of Captured Soldier Not Fit the Claim appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: A social media influencer with the name Gumaa Saqqataa Gem claimed that General Kassaye Chemeda, former member of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), has been included into the National Dialogue Commission (NDC). The post claimed that the inclusion of General Kassaye shows a “disrespect to the people”.  

Verdict: Misleading 

A Facebook account by the name Gumaa Saqqataa Gem, which has over 109,281 followers, posted a content claiming that General Kassaye Chemeda, a former ENDF member whose face is circled in the picture with yellow colour, was among the Commissioners of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (NDC). The content was published along with a picture of the NDC Commissioners and other high officials and the claim received over 1200 likes, over 224 comments, and over 104 shares. Similar claims were also posted on Tigray Tribune and Tigray Today/ትግራይ ቱደይ, pages that have hundreds of thousands of followers. 

The claim from Gumaa Saqqataa Gem reads: Nothing is disrespectful than including Kassaye Chemeda into the National Dialogue Commission, who supported ENDF over the War in Tigray asserting “crack them down, smash them down”.

However, after assessing the information provided on the Website of NDC and speaking to one of the Commissioners on a phone call, the MFC found that Chemeda is not among the Commissioners.

Thus, looking into the list of the Commissioners and confirming via phone call, MFC established that the claimed person is neither among the Commissioners of the National Dialogue Commission nor part of its staff members.

The supposed photo of the claim was found to be taken during the launching of the agenda setting event of the NDC in Addis Ababa and Chemeda was among the participants representing parts of the community of the city dwellers.

Therefore, MFC renders that both the text and the picture of the claim were taken out of context and found to be misleading.

Context 

The Ethiopian National Dialogue (END) was established in December 2021 with an autonomous stance as part of Ethiopia’s peace initiatives. It has aimed at bringing major controversial national issues to the dialogue table, which have been at the core of dispute and conflict in the country. Right from its establishment, the NDC has been criticized for its lack of transparency, including the process of selecting the Commissioners. Thus, over 11 opposition parties, including the two major Oromo oppositions – the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) – have boycotted participating in the dialogue. 

Regardless of the lack of public trust and amidst the conflict in the Amhara and Oromia regional states, where armed insurgencies have been tense, the NDC continued its work. Although it lagged behind its schedule on the selection of representatives from parts of the community, it has now officially reached the phase of agenda setting. It was on the launching of this agenda setting event that General Kassaye Chemeda was seen. Chemeda is known for his strong critique against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and he was active supporter of Abiy’s war campaign against TPLF in Tigray.

The post Is the Former Ethiopian Military General Serving on the National Dialogue Commission?  appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: A Facebook account shared a video of a damaged papaya farm in Tigray regional state of Ethiopia, claiming that the destruction was caused by “Shabiya” – a reference often used for a ruling party in Eritrea. 

Verdict: False. The video is not from Tigray.

On June 1, 2024, a Facebook account named “Habesha Habesha” shared a video that shows a damaged papaya farm with the caption: “This is what ‘Shabiya’ [the ruling party in Eritrea] did in Tigray.” The video garnered more than 970 reactions, over 1,000 shares, and over 330,000 views until this article is published. 

However, the video is not from Tigray.

MFC examined the video using Fake News Debunker by InVID & We Verify to detect the authenticity of the claim InVID provided keyframes from the video, which MFC then checked through Google Reverse Image Search.

Image: Screenshot taken from InVID Keyframs

The results showed that the video is circulating on social media with a Hindi caption claiming that “The storm destroyed 99% of the papaya crop” in India. 

Therefore, the video is actually from Tamil Nadu, a State in South India.

TIMES NOW, an English media outlet in India, and News18 India have reported that on May 29, 2024, thousands of papaya trees were damaged due to strong winds in Tamil Nadu, a state in the extreme south of India. The report further stated that the Tamil Nadu experienced heavy rainfall in recent days.

Image: Screenshot taken from News18 India Facebook page

Image: Screenshot taken from TIMES NOW Facebook page

Based on this information, MFC confirms that the video shared by the Facebook account claiming that the video shows the destruction of papaya farm caused by “Shabiya” in Tigray is false.

Context

In November 2020, fighting broke out between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a regional political party in Tigray, a region located north of Ethiopia bordering with Eritrea. Reports shows that the Eritrean forces entered the conflict supporting the Ethiopian government.

Eritrean forces (aka Shabiya) were accused of committing atrocities against civilians in Tigray, including extrajudicial killings, rape, and torture. The involvement of Eritrean forces in the conflict reportingly further complicated the situation and made it more difficult to resolve.

A ceasefire was declared in March 2022, but the conflict has not been fully resolved. Eritrean forces remain in Tigray, and there are ongoing reports of human rights abuses.

Thus, the post claiming that the Eritrean forces destroyed the papaya farm in Tigray circulates in this context. 

The post Video of Damaged Papaya Farm is Not in Tigray appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: A Tiktok account shared a video claiming Fano militiamen, an armed group in the Amhara Regional State fighting against the Ethiopian government, shot down a helicopter.

Verdict: False. The content was taken from a YouTube channel that produces short military related video games.

A TikTok account with a name Usergojjameeempire, who has 12.6K followers, shared a video with an Amharic text that reads: “Fano can do it, the game has become with BM [BM maybe wrongly referring to BM-21, a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher]. Brave. That’s why Birhanu Jula [Ethiopian Field Marshal who is the current Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force] said we do not have the capacity, and thus, we do not want to fight the Fano” (see screenshot below).

The shared video by “Usergojjameeempire” has received more than 8500 likes and has been shared more than 1230 times.

However, the video used by the account does not support the claim.

MFC used two approaches to verify the claim: (a) observation and (b) use of verification tools.

Observation

After examining the original footage, MFC noticed that the person seen in the video with soldier’s outfit was not what the Fano militiamen often seen wearing. 

Verification Tools

MFC also used the InVid and WeVerify tools to verify if the video had been posted before. The verification led to finding the claimed content from Milsim Tower, a YouTube channel. The channel, which has 483K subscribers, features numerous artificially generated short videos that are related to military, particularly those showing attacks on helicopters (see screenshot below).

Thus, the claimed video by the TikTok account holder was taken from the Milsim Tower channel, which garnered 24K likes (see screenshot below).

Based on the collected evidence, MFC verdict the video that was shared by “Usergojjameeempire” claiming Fano militiamen shot down the helicopter is False.

Context to the Claim

In April 2023, the Ethiopian government announced a plan to integrate Amhara Special Forces and the Fanos into its federal police and military. This announcement unleashed a widespread protests and unrest in the Amhara Regional State.

The crisis escalated in April 2023 when the federal government ordered the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) to take action against what it said “extremist” elements after “unidentified” armed groups killed Girma Yeshitla, the Head of the Amhara Prosperity Party.

Then, the armed conflict escalated in August 2023, when Fano militiamen took control of several cities and towns in the Amhara Regional State. The Ethiopian government responded by deploying the ENDF to retake the cities. Although the ENDF claimed it has recaptured most of the major cities, there have been still frequent clashes between state security forces and Fano militiamen, and the situation remains volatile.

The post Video Shows Not Ethiopian Military Helicopter Shot Down by Fano   appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: An X account tweeted an image that shows hands of youths tied to their back and claimed the youths of Gondar, a city in Amhara Region, are getting what they deserve, which gives an impression that these youths were arrested for not standing for freedom in the context of the fighting between the Fano Militiamen and government security forces.

Verdict: Misleading. The image is taken from another context.

An X (formerly known as Twitter) account named DerejeK68472577 with 26K followers shared an image on May 9, 2024 with an Amharic texts that read: “The youth of Amhara/Gondar,  who can use freedom ridiculously, is getting their price. Maybe they get this as they were seeing football or as they were drinking Tej [alcoholic beverage consumed locally]. They made the martyr of Theodros a mockery for Oromo and Tigray ‘’ (see image below). 

This post, which was originally shared by a TikTok account named “Dagne Wale የጨነቀለት,” has received more than 6000 views and has been shared more than 39 times as of the publication of this article.

However, the image used by the account does not support the claim.

The image in question contains a photo of people whose hand appears to be tied behind their back and the texts in the image read: “ohh, what a gut-wrenching. This happens to Gondar. But how long will this happen, Amhara[?]’.”

MFC used the RevEye Reverse Image Search tool to check if the image had been posted before. The tool returned the result by finding the image from previous post.

MFC then reviewed this previous post written on X account by the name Getachew Assefa, who claimed Oromo students protesting at university. The post stated: “#Oromo university and high school students are protesting with their arms tied behind them, mimicking the way the political leader Baattee Urgeessaa was killed and disposed of, with six gunshot wounds and his arms bound with his own belt. Battee, survived by his wife and four children with a fifth on the way, was known for his outspokenness against government atrocities and his commitment to non-violent struggle, earning respect from both allies and adversaries. Reuters’  investigative report in February exposed the “Koree Nageenya” – death squad  – established by Abiy Ahmed and led by Oromia President Shimelis Abdisa, who is accused of silencing potential Oromo leaders. Calls for an independent investigation into Battee’s assassination have resonated nationally and internationally, though many doubt it will materialize’’ (see screenshot below).

This claim itself that carries the same cover photo cannot be credited as the original image. Yet, based on the gathered evidence, MFC confirmed that the image shared by “Dagne Wale የጨነቀለት” and reposted by DerejeK68472577 appears to be taken out of context and misleading.

Context

On April 6, 2023, the Ethiopian federal government announced that it had decided to disarm regional special police forces.

After the decision of the government, instability stormed the Amhara regional state opposing to  dissolution of regional special police forces. Then Armed confrontations and clashes have taken place in the Amhara region.

The Fano militiamen took control of many areas including major cities in the region. The government soon after declared a state of emergency in the region to reverse the situation.

Despite the federal government reclaiming major areas of the Amhara region, fighting and armed confrontations between Ethiopian armed forces and Fano militiamen persisted.

The post Shared Image of Arrestees in Gondar is Misleading appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: A Twitter account shared an image claiming to be a letter by Daniel Bekele, Chief Commissioner of Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to the President of Columbia University, Mayor of New York City, and the New York Police Department.

Verdict: False. The image is a manipulated photoshop creation.

On May 2, 2024, an account named “Pulp Faction” with over 13,500 followers shared an image on X, formerly Twitter. The image purported to be a letter from Daniel Bekele, condemning alleged incidents of police brutality at Columbia University campuses in New York City. The post gained significant traction before it was debunked (see image below).

The letter contained a lengthy texts that started speaking “on behalf of the African Union” and other international organization and condemning what it said “incidents of police brutality that have occurred at Columbia University campuses in New York City”. It then urged the university to take immediate and decisive action to address four listed issues.

However, the image used by the X account was a photoshopped content. 

MFC used three methodologies to verify the claim: observation, use of tools, and communication with the EHRC and Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele.

1. Observation

Fake news generators and imposter content creators often make mistakes that can be easily spotted by users.

Error 1:

As shown in the image below, the creators of the fake letter used a photo of Daniel Bekele on the letter header in order to deceive users. However, institutions like the EHRC do not use such images on their letterheads.

Error 2:

Every professional letter is written with even spaces left and right (2.5 cm). As you can see in the image below, the fake letter is unprofessional and amateurish in its formatting.

Error 3:

The first sentence of the first paragraph of the fake letter claims that “On behalf of the African Union and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, an international non-governmental organization…”. However, this is incorrect on several counts.

• Daniel Bekele is the chief commissioner of the EHRC. He has no affiliation with the African Union and has no authority to write a letter on its behalf.

• The EHRC is a national institution that serves Ethiopia. It is not an international organization.

• The EHRC is not a non-governmental organization. It is an independent federal state body established by the Ethiopian constitution and reporting to the House of People’s Representatives.

Error 4:

At the end of the fake letter, the creators wrote “Ethiopian Human Rights Watch Commission”. However, there is no such institution. The “Watch” is an error.

Additionally, we obtained a formal letter format from the EHRC. As shown below, the difference between the fake letter and the real letter is visible.

1. The real letter has a formal and professional header and footer. (See number 1 and 5)

2. The real letter has an EHRC stamp. (See number 2)

3. The real letter has a date and letter number. (See number 3)

4. The real letter has a subject line.  (See number 4)

5. The real letter has a formal footer with information including email, phone, fax, address, and organizational motto. (See number 5)

2. Tool

MFC also used the Fake Image Detector tool to check if the image had been modified. The tool returned the result: “Looks like Computer Generated or Modified image” (see below).

3. Email communication with the EHRC, Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele

MFC communicated with Daniel Bekele via email in order to confirm whether the letter was genuine or false. He replied, “This is completely a fake letter.”

Based on the gathered evidence, MFC confirmed that the image shared by the X account claiming that the Chief of EHRC wrote a letter to the President of Columbia University, the Mayor of New York City, and the New York Police Department is false.

Context

On April 17, students at New York’s Columbia University set up the Gaza Solidarity and encampment on campus to protest against Columbia’s response to Israel’s war on Gaza. About 2,500 people have been arrested at campuses nationwide, according to an Associated Press count. On April 30, Columbia called in the police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from its campus in Upper Manhattan, leading to more than 100 arrests. Demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall, renaming it Hind’s Hall, after a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza.

The protesters are demanding an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 people since October 7, and are calling on their universities to sever ties with companies and institutions that have links to Israel.

The post circulated in this context.

The post Image Shared as Letter from Chief Commissioner Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is Photoshopped appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: A Twitter account shared an image claiming to be a screenshot from The Economist website, titled “Ethiopia’s restless prime minister is modernizing Addis Ababa too fast.” 

Verdict: False. The image is a manipulated photoshop creation.

An X account with 6,900 followers named CHERBOLE shared an image on April 27, 2024 with an Amharic caption that translates to “[t]hat’s it. Abiy Ahmed Ali (the prime minister of the FDRE) has impressed the world this much.” This post has received more than 20,000 views and has been shared more than 78 times as of the publication of this article.

However, the image used by the account is a photoshop creation.

The image in question contains a photo of demolished houses with a title of “Ethiopia’s restless prime minister is modernizing Addis Ababa too fast.” The subtitle reads “Abiy Ahmed is making the city is too clean for Africa”.

MFC used three methodologies to verify the claim: observation, use of tools, and communication with the media/journalist of The Economist.

Observation

MFC first searched the title in The Economist website but found no matching article. 

We then reviewed recent articles written about Ethiopia and found an article titled “The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished: Abiy Ahmed is imposing his vision on Ethiopia’s capital” (see screenshot below).

The claim carried the same cover photo, date of publication, image, and image credit as with the above original one.

When we examined the image shared by the X account, we also noticed a grammatical issue in the subtitle, which is unlikely for such a large international media outlet to make such an error (see screenshot below).

Tool

MFC also used the Fake Image Detector tool to check if the image had been modified. The tool returned the result: “Looks like Computer Generated or Modified image.”

Communication

MFC contacted a correspondent journalist at The Economist, who confirmed that there is no article with the title “Ethiopia’s restless prime minister is modernizing Addis Ababa too fast”.

Based on the gathered evidence, MFC confirmed that the image shared by the X account claiming that The Economist wrote an article with the title “Ethiopia’s restless prime minister is modernizing Addis Ababa too fast” is false.

Context

The Ethiopian government, through the Addis Ababa City Administration, has been demolishing buildings in the Piassa area as part of the Addis Ababa Corridor Development Project. The government says the project aims to modernize the city and achieve international smart city standards. However, critics argue that the demolitions are destroying historical heritage. This tweet was circulated in this context.

The post The Economist Didn’t Publish an Article on PM Abiy Ahmed “Modernizing Addis Ababa Too Fast”  appeared first on MultiFactCheck.

Claim: An X account named Amhara Youth Association with significant followers shared a video alleging that Addis Ababa residents are taking part in the so-called “Zemecha Wubante” (roughly meaning Wubante’s Campaign/March).

Verdict: False, as the video is outdated and unrelated to the current conflict in Amhara.

Image 1: A screenshot taken from the appears to show youth and federal police marching together.

On March 22, 2024, an X account named Amhara Youth Association, with over 36,000 followers, tweeted a video claiming that residents of Addis Ababa were engaged in the so-called “Zemecha Wubante” (meaning Wubante’s Campaign). The tweet has garnered over 25,000 views and more than 110 retweets.

The video was accompanied by an Amharic caption translated as: “Wubante’s Campaign has begun in Addis Ababa! The youth of Pisa [one of the most vibrant areas in the capital] are awakening at last. Protests are erupting. We have confirmed a bomb attack on a bus transporting an official.”

Image 2: A screenshot of the tweet from the Amhara Youth Association

However, MultiFactCheck (MFC) investigated the claim utilizing the Fake news debunker by InVID & WeVerify and discovered that the video in the tweet is an old clip from a 2018 clash incident involving Oromo youths (Qeerroo) and Addis Ababa youths during welcoming event for leaders of the exiled Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). This occurrence transpired five years ago.

Image 2: Another screenshot showing the image was from 2018

The video was circulated on various social media platforms, including Facebook (Link ) and Youtube (Link ) on September 14, 2018. Thus, relating that incident to the current “Zemecha Wubante” in Addis Ababa is not based on fact. Consequently, MFC rated this claims as False.

Context 

The Amhara region is in a state of emergency due to the fighting that erupted last July between Fano militiamen and the Ethiopian securitz forces.

Amid this conflict, Wubante Abate, a prominent Fano leader was reportedly killed in action. 

Thus, there are unconfirmed information circulating on social media that the Fanos are on a revenge campaign inspired by their fallen leader. 

The post Circulated Video not Suggest Residents of Addis Ababa Taking Part in “Zemecha Wubante” appeared first on MultiFactCheck.