Post falsely claims video confirms dissolution of ruling party in Ethiopia

A post shared with a video on Facebook claims that the clip shows the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) in Ethiopia being disbanded. However, this is false: the video discusses unrest in the country’s Amhara region and growing dissension within the PP but makes no mention of it being dissolved. The party has not made any official announcement to that effect either and continues to operate as usual. Its disbandment also would have triggered fresh elections.

The caption in Amharic translates to: "The Prosperity Party was officially dissolved. Abiy heard the bad news. The time has finally arrived".

The post was published on June 16, 2023, and has been shared more than 250 times.

Changing allegiances

In April 2023, Ethiopia's government vowed to disarm regional armed forces. But this has led to fierce resistance (archived here) in the Amhara region, which has the country's second-largest population.

Local media reports (archived here) indicate the ongoing unrest has prompted many Amharas, who formerly supported Abiy, to turn against him.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), deadly unrest has continued in Amhara despite the federal government’s efforts to disarm what it calls "extremist forces".

However, the video included in the post does not show the dissolution of the PP.

Unrelated content

In the first five minutes of the video, a male narrator discusses the unrest in Amhara, claiming regional divisions are growing within the PP.

"The Amhara Prosperity Party cadres have been frustrated by the local resistance against the government and opted to stand in support of the people. Most of the members of the Amhara Prosperity Party are expected to submit resignation letters," he is heard saying.

The narrator then proceeds to talk about recent changes in leadership at Ethiopian Airlines.

As AFP reported on June 12, 2023, the head of Ethiopia's air force Yilma Merdassa was appointed chairman of the airline (archived here).

The narrator finishes by discussing Yonas Berahe, a filmmaker who was arrested in Addis Ababa on June 11, 2023, and released after three days in detention.

Ruling party still active

The ruling party’s social media accounts here and here have remained active since the false claim was published (archived here and here) )

It has also continued to hold meetings, including on June 27, 2023, when it organised a workshop for senior federal government leaders (archived here).

The dissolution of the ruling party would also signal the end of its parliamentary majority and spark fresh elections.

AFP Fact Check has asked the PP for comment and will update this report in case of a reply.