Misleading Execution Video Misidentified as Recent Amhara Incident

A video of an execution circulating on social media is misattributed to Amhara; it actually comes from a 2021 massacre in Tigray. The ongoing conflict in Amhara has caused severe humanitarian issues, while misleading claims about this footage obscure the reality of the situation.

A recent video that has circulated on social media, portraying an execution, has incorrectly been claimed to be recorded in Amhara, Ethiopia. Instead, the footage, just 19 seconds in length, is linked to a 2021 incident captured during the Tigray conflict. This clip, shared over 470 times on Facebook, includes a text overlay urging viewers to share it widely, stating, \”Amharas are being massacred.\” This assertion is misleading, as the content is not reflective of the ongoing situation in Amhara.

The video clip appears alongside a caption in Amharic expressing support for the Fano militia while denouncing the Prosperity Party, which currently holds power in Ethiopia. The nation has seen escalated tensions since the federal government sought to disarm local paramilitary groups in April 2023, leading to intensified conflicts in the Amhara region. The ramifications of this conflict have been severe, with millions of children unable to attend school and hospitals rendered inoperative, according to reports from March 2025.

While recent clashes have reportedly resulted in numerous casualties, including the deaths of approximately 300 Fano fighters as indicated by federal forces, the distressing footage in question does not pertain to these current events. Instead, it dates back to a period marked by a different kind of unrest, during the Tigray War.

To verify the authenticity of the video, the AFP Fact Check team employed the InVID-WeVerify tool for image verification and found that the earlier, longer video had been uploaded to a gore website in June 2021. The footage saw a resurgence when Bellingcat published a report confirming it depicted the Mahbere Dego massacre.

This specific event, which took place in Tigray, has been described as a genocide, and various investigative efforts have corroborated the video’s origin. Bellingcat’s report and subsequent reports from CNN highlighted the atrocities committed, tracking similar footage from that time.

The Mahbere Dego massacre is just one of the many instances revealing the horror experienced by civilians during Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, where extensive loss of life, exceeding 600,000 individuals, occurred prior to the peace agreement signed in November 2022. Both sides, the Ethiopian military and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, have faced accusations of committing severe human rights violations against civilian populations.

In summary, the execution footage recently circulated online is not a new event from Amhara but rather a verified recording from the 2021 Mahbere Dego massacre in Tigray. The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Amhara region is complex, stemming from the disarmament of local militias. Misleading claims about this footage serve to cloud the current humanitarian issues resulting from ongoing violence in the area. Major investigative organizations have confirmed the historical context of the video, emphasizing the need for accurate reporting.

Original Source: factcheck.afp.com