Tigray’s young men flee as renewed war and forced recruitment grip Ethiopia
Young men in Ethiopia’s Tigray region are fleeing to Addis Ababa amid fears of forced military recruitment, as renewed fighting between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government shatters the 2022 peace deal. Human Rights Watch reports abductions of civilians and children as young as 15, while the TPLF denies coercion. The conflict has expanded to Amhara and Afar, with Tigrayan forces seizing three airports and forming a new rebel alliance. Internet and banking services in Tigray have been cut, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis that already left the region cash-strapped. Analysts warn the Pretoria Agreement’s incomplete implementation has created a cycle of insecurity, while the TPLF claims the accord is no longer valid.
