Article describing explosion at secret Fano rebel camp in Eritrea was fabricated
- Published on May 12, 2026 at 10:47
- 4 min read
- By Tolera FIKRU GEMTA, AFP Ethiopia
Amid rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a post shared on Facebook claims that Africa Intelligence, a digital publication specialising in African affairs, reported an explosion at a secret Ethiopian rebel training camp in Eritrea. However, this is false: Africa Intelligence denied publishing such a report, and AFP Fact Check confirmed that the news article and accompanying image were fabricated using artificial intelligence.
The post was shared on Facebook on April 28, 2026, in Amharica and reads: “According to the latest report by Africa Intelligence, which monitors political and security developments in the Horn of Africa, members of the Fano group attending military training were killed in a sudden explosion at a secret training facility in Eritrea.”
Fano is a militia that has been fighting against the Ethiopian government in the country’s northern region since April 2023.
“According to Africa Intelligence, the accident occurred during a military training exercise, when a powerful explosion reportedly killed several trainees instantly,” the post adds. “Several others sustained serious and minor injuries and were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment. While the exact cause of the explosion has not been disclosed, eyewitnesses described the incident as sudden, severe, and unexpected.”
The post features what appears to be a screenshot of an Africa Intelligence article dated April 28, 2026, with the headline: “Fatal Exposition at Fano Training Camp in Eritrea.”
The image shows a large blaze in what appears to be an enclosure with guard towers and the Eritrean flag on a pole. Dozens of figures, some in military uniforms, are gathered near the fire.
Similar claims were shared on Facebook by pages (here and here) that frequently publish content supportive of the Ethiopian government, particularly if it concerns rebel groups and rival Eritrea.
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea deteriorated following a brief alliance during the Tigray war from 2020 to 2022, which killed more than 600,000 people (archived here).
In February 2026, Addis Ababa accused Asmara of making incursions into Ethiopian territory and collaborating with Fano rebels fighting the federal army in the northern Amhara region, allegations that Eritrea denied (archived here).
On April 27, 2026, AFP reported that the Ethiopian government claimed to have proof that regional leaders in Tigray were forging alliances with Eritrea.
However, the purported article by Africa Intelligence is fake.
Fabricated report
AFP Fact Check searched the Africa Intelligence online archive for April 28, 2026, and found no evidence that the article existed. Instead, the site's coverage on the day included unrelated reports, such as a feature on Groupe ADP’s planned exit from Madagascar by the end of 2026 (archived here and here).
As of May 12, 2026, the news outlet’s last report related to Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions was published on March 23, 2026 (archived here).
Africa Intelligence says the report is “fake”.
“We have never published any such story,” Noe Michalon, Eastern Africa Section Editor for Africa Intelligence, told AFP Fact Check.
“We also do not use AI-generated images to illustrate our stories,” he added.
AFP Fact Check also identified multiple visual inconsistencies between the screenshot circulating online and Africa Intelligence’s authentic website layout.
On the logo on the official website, “Africa” and “Intelligence” appear in different shades of brown, whereas the fake version uses black and yellow text. It also includes the tagline “Continent’s daily”, which is missing from the fabricated version.
The date format in the fake screenshot also differs from the publication’s standard style.
AI–generated image
AFP Fact Check also examined the image in the false post and found several telltale signs of AI generation.
The plumes of smoke and glowing embers look hyper-realistic, with overly dramatic lighting.
The people in the foreground also lack consistent detail. Some faces appear deformed with odd body proportions, while others blend into one another.
Additionally, the Eritrean flag and the structures around the camp, especially the guard towers and fencing, don’t align naturally in perspective or construction. Notably, the flag appears to be unaffected by the heat, despite its proximity to the flames.
We also analysed the image using several AI detectors.
InVID-WeVerify’s synthetic image detector returned a 99 percent probability that the image was created using AI.
Likewise, ImageWhisperer found it highly likely that the image was created by AI, and with near certainty by Google AI’s Gemini.
Google’s SynthID detector, which identifies watermarks embedded in media content created with the company’s AI tools, confirmed that the image was generated on one of its AI platforms.
Although the Ethiopian government has repeatedly accused Eritrea of supporting Fano rebels -- including allegations of supplying ammunition, which Eritrea denies -- there is no credible evidence indicating that Eritrea hosts a training camp for Fano forces (archived here).
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