Facebook removes network of fake Ethiopian accounts ahead of country’s election

These accounts were reportedly linked to individuals associated with Ethiopia's Information network Security Agency.

According to Facebook, the accounts posted mainly in Amharic, Ethiopia's official language, about Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party, as well as current events. The accounts also posted content criticizing Abiy's opposition in groups including the Oromo Liberation Front, Ethiopian Democratic Party, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front among others, Reuters reports.

The INSA is responsible for monitoring the country's internet and telecommunications.

"INSA is under the ministry of peace and an independent institution - you can address your question there,” the prime minister's spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told Reuters when questioned about Facebook's action.

The group of accounts across Facebook and Instagram reportedly violated the company's "coordinated inauthentic behavior" rules, and had reportedly accelerated its posted at the new year mark.

Facebook said about 1.1 million accounts followed one or more of the pages associated with the network. About 766,000 accounts joined one or more of the network's groups. It also said the network had spent around $6,200in US dollars in ads on said platforms.

On June 21, the country will hold its general election, postponed from August 2020 due to the pandemic. According to the BBC, "voters will elect 547 members of the federal parliament and the leader of the winning party becomes prime minister. The last general election was held in 2015."