Ethiopia has experienced brutal internal conflicts in recent years, as well as rivalries with neighbouring Somalia over access to the sea. Against this backdrop, a Facebook post claims to show footage of dozens of ballistic missiles being paraded by the Ethiopian army. However, this is false: the footage was generated using artificial intelligence.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe video in the post <\/a>contains a text overlay in English that reads \u201cEthiopian Army\u201d.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nScreenshot of the false post, taken on February 4, 2025 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe five-second clip shows what looks like long, uniform lines of intercontinental ballistic missiles being driven on a public road.<\/p>\n
A list of hashtags included in the post alludes to the Ethiopian military.<\/p>\n
Ethiopian troops are fighting armed rebels in Oromia and Amhara, the country\u2019s most populous regions. In Oromia, the army has been fighting the\u00a0Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)<\/a> since 2018, while in Amhara, it has been clashing with Fano<\/a> forces since 2023 (archived here <\/a>and here<\/a>).<\/p>\nFano was a former ally of the army during the Tigray conflict that ended in November 2022 but then rebelled in April 2023 after the government decided to disarm all local militia.<\/p>\n
Ethiopia has demonstrated its modern military capabilities on several occasions, including in August 2022 when it showed off <\/a>Turkish- and Chinese-made combat drones during a military graduation ceremony.<\/p>\nBut, closer inspection reveals the footage of Ethiopia’s purported missile arsenal was artificially created (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\nAI-generated content\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn initial clue that the footage was AI-generated is evident in the faces of the people driving the first missile carrier — or rather, their lack of faces. Closer inspection reveals the faces do not have any human features.<\/p>\n\n![\"<span>Screenshot](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/acsbIPr9CgIpXzxTxOrTQA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTQyNA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/56c03a56c04acc6d1af98a3d97e5da1c\"\/)
<\/div>\nScreenshot from the false post showing the drivers of the first carrier lacking human features (circled), taken on February 5, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAFP Fact Check ran the footage through an AI content detector from Hive Moderation<\/a>, which concluded the video was likely AI-generated with a 97 percent probability (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n![\"<span>Screenshot](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/5hT9jzs9ECblDaznsxQBfQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM0Mw--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/163a406da6c237f5cf35332092a43597\"\/)
Screenshot of the false post, taken on February 4, 2025 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The five-second clip shows what looks like long, uniform lines of intercontinental ballistic missiles being driven on a public road.<\/p>\n A list of hashtags included in the post alludes to the Ethiopian military.<\/p>\n Ethiopian troops are fighting armed rebels in Oromia and Amhara, the country\u2019s most populous regions. In Oromia, the army has been fighting the\u00a0Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)<\/a> since 2018, while in Amhara, it has been clashing with Fano<\/a> forces since 2023 (archived here <\/a>and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Fano was a former ally of the army during the Tigray conflict that ended in November 2022 but then rebelled in April 2023 after the government decided to disarm all local militia.<\/p>\n Ethiopia has demonstrated its modern military capabilities on several occasions, including in August 2022 when it showed off <\/a>Turkish- and Chinese-made combat drones during a military graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n But, closer inspection reveals the footage of Ethiopia’s purported missile arsenal was artificially created (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\n An initial clue that the footage was AI-generated is evident in the faces of the people driving the first missile carrier — or rather, their lack of faces. Closer inspection reveals the faces do not have any human features.<\/p>\n Screenshot from the false post showing the drivers of the first carrier lacking human features (circled), taken on February 5, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n AFP Fact Check ran the footage through an AI content detector from Hive Moderation<\/a>, which concluded the video was likely AI-generated with a 97 percent probability (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\nAI-generated content\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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