A recent video falsely claiming to depict an execution in Ethiopia’s Amhara region is actually footage from the 2021 Mahbere Dego massacre in Tigray. The clip has sparked renewed concern amidst escalating violence between the Ethiopian federal government and the Fano militia. Various investigations confirm the true origins of the video, highlighting ongoing humanitarian crises in the region.
In a recent social media post, a 19-second video purportedly showing an execution has been claimed to take place in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. However, investigations reveal the footage was actually filmed in the Tigray region back in 2021. The clip, shared on Facebook on May 15, 2025, carries a critical message in Amharic urging support for the controversial Fano militia and condemning the Prosperity Party, the ruling government in Ethiopia.
The footage, which depicts armed individuals in military uniforms executing unarmed civilians, has been shared over 470 times, demonstrating its alarming reach. Text within the video claims that “Amharas are being massacred” and urges viewers to spread it widely. This harrowing imagery adds to the tumultuous backdrop of ongoing conflict in Ethiopia, particularly in the Amhara region.
The conflict in Amhara escalated in April 2023 when the Ethiopian federal government initiated a disarmament campaign targeting local paramilitary groups, including the Fano militia. Once allies during the Tigray conflict, the Fano subsequently turned against the state, igniting renewed violence. Reports in March 2025 indicated that this disruption had led to a significant humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to multiple sources, the violence has left millions of children out of school and caused many hospitals to cease functioning. Federal forces reported the killing of nearly 300 Fano fighters; however, they have struggled to maintain control over much of the region’s rural areas. Additionally, an organization like Amnesty International has documented extrajudicial killings attributed to the Ethiopian army.
Desperate for clarity, AFP Fact Check utilized the InVID-WeVerify tool to analyze the video and found that a longer, graphic version was first published on a gore website in June 2021. The caption at the time described the footage as soldiers executing civilians in Tigray, asserting that such events resembled a genocide setting. This long version of the video was previously investigated by organizations such as Bellingcat and CNN.
Bellingcat’s investigation decomposed the footage, linking it to the Mahbere Dego massacre—an event attributed to Ethiopian soldiers that occurred in January 2021. This was corroborated by CNN’s report shortly after Bellingcat’s analysis went public. Both organizations’ research underscored the need to contextualize events portrayed in the video currently causing alarm in the Amhara region.
Furthermore, reports from BBC Africa Eye similarly analyzed the Mahbere Dego massacre, reaffirming the serious implications of the footage. The Tigray conflict, characterized by severe violence and civilian casualties exceeding 600,000, formally concluded with a peace agreement in November 2022. Still, both the Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian military have faced allegations of committing atrocities against civilians.
In summary, the recent circulation of a video purportedly depicting events in the Amhara region actually reflects a tragic incident that occurred in the Tigray region back in 2021. The circumstances surrounding the video highlight ongoing tensions involving the Ethiopian federal government and the Fano militia as violence escalates. Misleading representations of such footage underscore the complex narrative of Ethiopia’s regional conflicts and the humanitarian crises they precipitate. Understanding the origins of such disturbing content is crucial to framing the narrative appropriately.
Original Source: factcheck.afp.com
