Post uses old photo of Ethiopian troops to falsely claim invasion of Amhara region

The text of the post in Amharic translates to: "Invading forces are carrying out offensives using heavy weapons such as ZU-23 and Cannon in Weldiya and Kobo towns and we are forced to respond. We are calling for a more organised struggle against the forces."

"The forces are trying to reorganise themselves via Debre Tabor and Gashena-Filakit routes and hence roads in these areas should be blocked", it adds.

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Screenshot of the false post taken on April 18, 2023

Weldiya and Kobo are towns in the north Wollo zone of the Amhara region.

The post’s photo shows heavily armed soldiers in the back of a truck.

The post was published on Facebook on April 9, 2023, and shared more than 120 times since.

Anti-government rallies in Amhara

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's five years in power were commemorated in many parts of the Oromia region on April 2, 2023.

But that same day, his government faced protests in the Amhara region. According to media reports (archived here), this marked a shift in support as most of the ethnic Amhara people initially showed support for Abiy but recently turned increasingly toward supporting his opponents.

More rallies took place in the Amhara region after the Ethiopian government on April 6 announced its decision to dismantle regional special forces.

During these demonstrations, deadly clashes between Ethiopian federal forces and protesters were reported in the town of Kombolcha.

AFP reported on April 13, 2023, that calm had returned to the Amhara region after days of protests. The AMC media outlet, affiliated with the Amhara regional government led by Abiy's party, said members of the special forces in the South Wollo administrative zone had "gratefully" agreed to be reassigned "to the police, prison service or other institutions".

However, the photo doesn’t show invading forces attacking towns in the Amhara region in April 2023 as claimed.

Old photo from Tigray conflict

AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches and established that the photo shows Ethiopian defence forces in Tigray in 2021.

The original picture is archived on the Associated Press website and captured by photographer Ben Curtis on May 8, 2021.

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Screenshot of the original photo taken on April 18, 2023

According to the caption, it shows Ethiopian government troops travelling by truck on a road near Agula, north of Mekelle, in the Tigray region.

Following two years of brutal war, the Ethiopian Federal government and the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to the peace deal in November 2022.

Part of the original Associated Press photo was cropped out in the version shared on Facebook, seemingly to hide the background which shows a rural area in Tigray, not a town in Amhara as claimed.