Old images of bullets captured in Ethiopia resurface with false claim they show recent seizure

Amanuel Neguede, AFP Ethiopia
Fri, November 19, 2021, 6:09 AM
Photos of thousands of bullets hidden in a large rice bag have been widely shared on Facebook in Ethiopia alongside claims that the images show a recent seizure in the country’s capital Addis Ababa. This post surfaced as Ethiopian authorities are confiscating illegal weapons found during home searches in the capital. However, the claim that the photo was taken recently in Addis Ababa is false. The image has been online since April 2021, and state-owned media reported at the time that this seizure happened at a checkpoint north of Addis.

The images were posted on a pro-government Facebook account called “Natnael Mekonnen” followed by nearly 500,000 people. The post was shared nearly 700 times and has generated over 7,000 likes since it was published on November 16, 2021.

The first photo shows thousands of bullets spilling out of a rice bag, and the second one shows the ammunition laid out on a white tarp.

“#Ethiopia. During searches in Addis Ababa, this was found in one house”, the post’s caption reads in Amharic.

On November 2, 2021, the Ethiopian government announced a six-month state of emergency after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed control of two key cities, Dessie and Kombolcha, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Addis Ababa. This move granted authorities permission to search homes in the capital and other cities.
read more