As renewed fighting threatens a fresh humanitarian crisis in the northern region of Ethiopia, reports are emerging that a new alliance of armed groups in Tigray has been forcibly recruiting men and boys to its ranks. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Renewed conflict

Renewed conflict erupted on 23 September between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules the region, shattering the fragile Pretoria peace agreement signed between the two sides in November 2022.

The latest fighting started after months of escalating tensions when the TPLF launched an attack in what it claims was a response to drone strikes by the federal government.

Forced recruitment campaign

Witnesses who spoke to the Guardian described a broad campaign of forced recruitment in Tigray, targeting men and boys between the ages of 15 and 65.

The Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara militias, which committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 2020-22 conflict, have switched allegiance and are now fighting in support of the TPLF.

Along with this new alliance, testimonies of forced recruitment, child soldiers and fresh humanitarian crises are emerging out of the already battered region.

Witness testimonies

Gezu*, 34, who fought with the Tigrayan forces in the 2020-22 war, lost many of his friends on the battlefield and was grateful to survive the deadly conflict. He was planning to start a family when he received a call from the TPLF authorities to join their armed group after the latest outbreak of hostilities.

"I refused to join the war," he said. "I responded to them to kill me rather than ever force me back to the horrors of the battlefield.

"When they saw no one would join their army willingly, and people fleeing to the capital city, they started rounding up people from the streets. I didn't want to leave my home town until things started getting worse."

In the past few months, Tigrayans with the means to leave have been heading for the capital, Addis Ababa, fearing that war was coming. But on 23 September, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to and from the Tigray region, stranding many people, after Tigrayan forces seized the airport in Mekelle, the capital of Tigray region.

Solomon*, a 52-year-old man who was able to flee to Addis Ababa, said: "The main targets are those between the ages of 15 and 40. I have seen the armed group of the TPLF rounding up people as young as 15 and 16 at gunpoint from the streets and public transportation areas.

"I know parents who tried to save their children by showing medical certificates. The officers don't care whatever internal disease you have; they forcefully recruit anyone whose hands, eyes and feet work."

Ephrem, 40, is a father of three who, fearing conscription, was planning to leave the region weeks before the fresh fighting erupted. "Every time I go outside the house, my wife and the kids are anxious. The kids cry fearing that I will be rounded up from the street.

"People who have money protect themselves and their children from the forced recruitment by bribing the officers. It is devastating; no one wants to join the war," he said.

Siege and banking restrictions

The Tigray region has been under siege for the past week, when citizens' bank accounts were abruptly frozen by the federal government, leaving people unable to withdraw their money. The banks have since reopened with a daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr (£9) and with long queues forming outside.

Negus*, an elderly man in Mekelle, said: "We don't know for how long the siege and the war are going to stay. A daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr can hardly afford to buy the skyrocketing food prices. It is impossible to leave this embattled region. There is no way for relatives outside to send medicine or cash. I am just hoping it all ends soon."

Internet and phone communications were also cut off on the orders of the TPLF until this week, leaving families desperate for news of relatives in the region.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has been accused of carrying out indiscriminate drone airstrikes and there have been reports of attacks by the opposition forces coming close to Addis Ababa.

Casualties and international assessments

An estimated 300,000 to 800,000 civilians died during the Tigray conflict, according to the British government. The Ethiopian army, Eritrean forces and Amhara nationalist "fano" militias have previously committed grave atrocities against the Tigrayan population that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. Tigrayan forces were also accused in an Amnesty report of committing atrocities during the war.

  • 01Names have been changed to protect their identities