Ethiopia’s restive Amhara region has become fertile ground for disinformation since July 2023 when fighting broke out between government troops and a rebel group called Fano. A video shared on Facebook claims to show a US-based journalist announcing that local Fano militia forces have now disbanded. However, this is false: the clip was digitally altered by splicing segments from a news bulletin detailing a September 2023 attack against Ethiopian soldiers in Amhara. Fano fighters remain locked in battle with government forces.

“Messay Mekonnen announced that extremist Fano forces have disbanded,” reads the Amharic caption on a TikTok video shared on Facebook.

Messay Mekonnen is an Ethiopian journalist based in the United States who regularly posts pro-Fano content.

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Published on October 4, 2023, the post has been shared more than 450 times and viewed by more than 160,000 users.

The account sharing the altered clip routinely posts videos in support of the ruling political party in Ethiopia.

The two-minute clip shows Messay presenting the news while maps showing different parts of the Amhara region appear on the screen.

Messay appears to make several statements throughout the clip suggesting that Fano forces have disbanded.

“A spokesperson speaking from the conflict zone stated that Fano forces suffered defeats in various battles since last Sunday,” Messay purportedly says.

The Ethiopian federal government has been locked in an armed conflict with...

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