What We Know About Tigray's Forced Recruitment of Boys in Ethiopia

Armed groups allied with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) have been rounding up men and teenage boys in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region since fighting with the federal government resumed on September 23, according to witness testimony gathered by The Guardian. The recruitment drive, which witnesses say targets males between 15 and 65, has driven civilians toward Tigray's capital, Mekelle, in search of safety.

What triggered the renewed fighting in Tigray?

The clash broke out on September 23 between Ethiopia's federal government and the TPLF, which governs Tigray, according to the Guardian. The TPLF says its offensive was a response to federal drone strikes, though the newspaper's reporting does not include a government statement disputing that account. The fighting shattered the Pretoria peace agreement the two sides signed in November 2022 after a war that ran from 2020 to 2022.

Who is accused of forcing boys into service?

Witnesses described a campaign carried out by the TPLF and its allied armed groups, with men and boys seized on the streets of Tigray after calls for volunteers went unanswered, the Guardian reported. The newspaper said civilians have been fleeing toward the capital to avoid conscription, and that testimonies point to child soldiers being drawn into the renewed conflict.

What happened to the 2022 peace agreement?

The Pretoria accord, signed in November 2022, had held for roughly four years before collapsing amid what the Guardian described as months of escalating tension between Addis Ababa and the TPLF-run regional administration. The September 23 outbreak marked the formal end of that cease-fire, according to the report.

Who are Tigray's new battlefield allies?

In a reversal from the 2020-22 war, the Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara militias — both accused by the Guardian of war crimes and crimes against humanity during that earlier conflict — have switched sides and are now fighting alongside the TPLF. The newspaper notes the alliance brings together forces that were battlefield enemies only a few years ago.

What do witnesses describe on the ground?

According to the Guardian's reporting, residents who had fought in the 2020-22 war were contacted directly by TPLF authorities and ordered to rejoin armed ranks. When voluntary appeals failed to produce fighters and people began fleeing to Mekelle, witnesses said authorities began detaining men and boys in the streets. The Guardian's account is based on testimony from residents inside Tigray rather than statements from the TPLF or federal officials.

Tigray conflict, by the numbers

• Sept. 23, 2026 — date renewed fighting began between Ethiopia's federal government and the TPLF
• Ages 15–65 — range of males witnesses say are being targeted for recruitment
• Nov. 2022 — month the Pretoria peace agreement was signed, now collapsed
• 2020–2022 — dates of the prior Tigray war that preceded the current cease-fire

The Guardian's report is based on witness testimony rather than confirmation from TPLF leadership, Eritrean officials or Ethiopia's federal government, and none of those parties is quoted disputing the recruitment accounts in the material reviewed. Read the full account at The Guardian.