Armed groups in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region are forcibly recruiting men and boys, some as young as 15, according to witnesses who spoke to the Guardian, as renewed fighting raises fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis. The accounts describe rounding-up of people at gunpoint from streets and public transport, with targets ranging in age from 15 to 65.
The fighting began on 23 September, when the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party that governs the region, launched an attack on federal forces. The TPLF says it was responding to federal drone strikes. The offensive shattered the Pretoria peace agreement of November 2022, which ended a 2020-22 war in which, according to a British government estimate, between 300,000 and 800,000 civilians died.
The military picture has since shifted. Tigrayan forces briefly seized the airport in Mekelle, the regional capital, and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights, stranding many people. Ethiopian forces later retook the airport. Africanews reports that the TPLF has withdrawn from Mekelle, pushed back by what it calls "peace forces", a breakaway Tigrayan militia now allied with the federal government in Addis Ababa. These forces say they have captured several strategic positions. The Guardian also reports that the Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara militias, which fought against Tigray in the previous war, have switched sides and now support the TPLF. The Guardian also notes reports of attacks by opposition forces close to Addis Ababa and accusations that the federal government has carried out indiscriminate drone strikes.
Witnesses describe fear and desperation. One man, who fought in the last war and refused to rejoin, said people were seized from the streets once it became clear no one would volunteer. Another, who fled to Addis Ababa, said he had seen boys of 15 and 16 detained, and that parents who showed medical certificates were ignored. Several said those with money could bribe officials to protect their children. The names of all those quoted were changed to protect their identities.
Civilians also face economic strain. The federal government froze bank accounts in Tigray, and banks have since reopened with a daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr, about £9, which residents say barely covers rising food prices. Internet and phone links were cut on TPLF orders until this week, leaving families without news of relatives. People say they cannot leave the region or receive medicine and cash from abroad.
The situation matters because Tigray has not recovered from the earlier war, in which a UN-backed expert commission found that Ethiopian, Eritrean and Amhara forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Amnesty International also accused Tigrayan forces of atrocities. The use of child recruits and the collapse of the 2022 peace deal raise the prospect of renewed abuses against a population already exhausted by conflict.