A video circulating on social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, shows people fleeing the town of Sake in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The video is presented as a recent development, dated September 2026, amidst the ongoing security concerns in the eastern part of the country. However, a thorough investigation by Eleza Fact reveals that the video is not from 2026 but rather from February 2024.
The video was verified using a reverse image search tool, Google Lens, which led to several publications and reports from February 2024. At that time, various media outlets and humanitarian organizations documented the flight of Sake's residents due to clashes in the area. This was confirmed by a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which stated that over 135,000 people were moving towards Goma due to intensified fighting around Sake.
The video was initially published on February 7, 2024, on the TikTok account of an independent journalist, Samuel Abiba, with the caption "War in eastern DRC: the town of Sake is starting to empty of its inhabitants." On the same day, TV5MONDE Info broadcast a report featuring the same footage, and it was also published in an article on the RTS.ch website, which mentioned several hundred people fleeing the region due to clashes.
The situation on the ground has since changed significantly. Sake came under the control of the M23 rebel group on January 23, 2025, followed by Goma and Bukavu. As of September 2026, these cities are under the administration of the AFC/M23. Presenting the video as a current event ignores these developments and misleads the public into believing that the situation has remained unchanged.
The Facebook page "Depena Procureur Général," which shared the video on September 19, 2026, has over 26,000 followers and regularly posts updates on the situation in the East. The page's alarmist title, "URGENT SAKE: PANIC SPREADS, GOMA HOLDS ON!", likely contributed to the video's wide circulation, with over 4,800 views, 329 likes, 10 comments, and 24 shares at the time of verification.
Internet users had mixed reactions to the video, with some expressing concern and others recognizing it as old footage. One user wrote in Lingala, "These are old images, stop lying, fight and actually dislodge the Rwandans from Kivu, thank you." This highlights the importance of verifying information, especially in times of crisis, to avoid spreading misinformation.
In conclusion, the video showing people fleeing Sake is authentic but has been taken out of its temporal context. It was originally recorded in February 2024 and has been republished to illustrate a current event in September 2026, potentially causing unnecessary panic.
Key points
- The video of people fleeing Sake is from February 2024, not September 2026.
- The situation in Sake and surrounding areas has changed significantly since February 2024.
- Verifying information, especially in times of crisis, is crucial to avoid spreading misinformation.
