Investigation reveals execution took place in western Ethiopian forest, not northern monastery
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on June 14, 2023 at 10:48
- Updated on June 15, 2023 at 09:24
- 8 min read
- By Erin FLANAGAN, AFP Ethiopia
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The minute-long video shows several men in fatigues carrying guns walking in a wooded area along a dirt path.
Two men wearing civilian clothing are seen with their hands tied behind their backs and facing away.
“You! Stand properly. Don’t move”, one of the uniformed men says in Amharic.
“Shoot them! Shoot them,” another says.
Two of the armed men then shoot the pair at point-blank range in the back of their heads. The victims fall to the ground.
One of the armed men fires again before walking away. The individual filming the scene approaches the victims while zooming in on their faces.
He then directs the lens towards himself and points at it before turning the camera back towards the motionless victims.
False claim origin
Multiple social media posts have claimed the video was filmed at a monastery in Debre Elias in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
A post published in Amharic on June 4, 2023, claims the clip shows "the highest level of cruelty against Debre Elias monks".
"They executed people who were at the Debre Elias monastery for prayers and refused to be filmed."
The posts surfaced amid reports (archive here) of a government-led assault on the monastery allegedly used as a base by an armed group.
On June 3, 2023, the Ethiopian Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force said (archived here) it had attacked militants at the monastery, accusing them of trying to overthrow the government.
However, the claim circulating on social media that the video was filmed in Debre Elias is false.
Clip from different region
During its investigation, AFP Fact Check found that other social media posts claimed that the video was shot in a locality called Chancho in the Metekel Zone in the Benishangul-Gumuz region.
Inter-communal tensions have long plagued Metekel, with contests over land and resources spurring violence between ethnic groups.
The posts also included the possible identities of the two men killed, named as Takele Mengesha and Habtamu Ayana.
The men belonged to the Oromo community, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, according to Oromo activist and lawyer Temesgen Gemechu.
"They took the people from Chancho Kebele to Galessa and killed them in Gipho forest," he wrote on Facebook.
He also claimed defence forces, along with Sidama and Amhara special forces, carried out the killing when they were in the region a year ago.
Narrowing down the location
Using a keyword search for "Gipho forest Ethiopia", AFP Fact Check located the area on Google Earth Pro.
The forest is in the Dibate region in the Metekel Zone mentioned in some posts.
Just south of Gipho is a small village called "Galessa Kebele".
"Kebele" refers to the lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia.
AFP Fact Check then spotted the "Chancho Elementary School" less than four kilometres south of Galessa Kebele.
This matches the Chancho mentioned by users on social media.
Relatives’ account
Local and international media picked up the story shortly after the video surfaced, citing the victims' names and running interviews with their relatives.
In a statement published on June 6, 2023, the Sidama Region Peace and Security Bureau said it was aware of the footage circulating online but denied its forces were involved.
"The militants seen in the video have never served in any Sidama forces," it said.
AFP Fact Check was able to contact a family member of Takele Mengesha, one of the two named victims.
They said joint security forces arrested Takele at his home in Chancho on January 28, 2022.
According to the relative, Takele was detained for four days at Galessa’s police station and executed in the Gipho forest on February 1, 2022.
"Our family was given Takele’s body four days after he was killed. A few family members were allowed to attend his funeral on February 4, 2022, which happened in a place called Geshe, some three or four kilometres away from our village," they added.
A map search confirmed the existence of Geshe village less than two kilometres from both Chancho Elementary and Galessa Kebele.
New footage confirms location
AFP Fact Check obtained fresh footage filmed at the exact spot of the execution from a local source.
We also found a higher-resolution version of the execution video shared on social media.
A comparison of the two clips, filmed in different seasons, showed there were many matching elements, including trees, paths and a ridgeline.
- The tree on the left has the same distinct shape, bending to the left with two large branches.
- There is a dirt path next to a low embankment.
- The background shows a low ridgeline with a curved slope.
The videos feature thicker tree growth to the right of the dirt path. A distinct tree with a split trunk is bending to the left.
The clips also feature a small cleared space to the left of the path where the men were killed.
Contacted by AFP Fact Check, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission confirmed the location and said it had received a complaint regarding the incident from family of one of the deceased.
"The information we have gathered thus far suggests that the Extrajudicial Execution (EJE) took place in Jipo village, Debate woreda, Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia around January 2022," it said in an email. Jipo is an alternate spelling for Gipho.
Uniform clues
While AFP Fact Check has not yet been able to identify those involved in the shooting, their uniforms provide several clues.
The man filming the execution turns his camera around at the end of the clip, clearly showing his face and uniform.
The left side of his attire has a patch with a flag matching that of the Sidama region (archived here).
Partially-obscured black lettering can be glimpsed below the flag.
The right shoulder features another patch which appears to show the Ethiopian national flag (archive here).
The Facebook page of the Sidama Police Commission (archive here) features military uniforms that include the Sidama flag on the left side and the Ethiopian flag on the right upper arm.
Beneath the Sidama flag, the patch with black letters reads "SIDAMA SPECIAL FORCE".
Close inspection shows that the partially obscured letters in the video match the "ECI" from the word "SPECIAL".
This story is part of an ongoing investigation and will be updated if new information emerges.
June 15, 2023 ADDS new details from EHRC
June 14, 2023 ADDS EHRC comment in lead
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