Tigray rebel groups ‘forcibly recruiting boys as young as 15’ as fighting spreads

What Happened

Renewed fighting erupted on 23 September between Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), shattering the November 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. The TPLF said it launched an attack in response to federal drone strikes. Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara Fano militias—previously aligned with federal forces during the 2020–22 war—are now reported to be fighting alongside the TPLF. Witnesses told The Guardian that TPLF authorities have forcibly recruited men and boys aged 15 to 65, including boys as young as 15 and 16, rounding them up at gunpoint from streets and public transport; some parents attempted to use medical certificates or bribes to save children. The federal government froze citizens' bank accounts and later imposed a daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr (£9), and Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights after Tigrayan forces seized Mekelle airport. Internet and phone communications were cut off on TPLF orders until this week.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The renewed fighting marks the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement and revives one of the deadliest recent conflicts in Africa; the British government estimated 300,000 to 800,000 civilians died during the 2020–22 war. The reported realignment of Eritrean and Amhara forces with the TPLF reshapes battlefield dynamics and heightens the risk of further atrocity crimes. Forced recruitment of boys as young as 15, a cash siege, and communications blackouts point to a rapidly deteriorating civilian protection and humanitarian crisis in Tigray.

Watch For

Monitor whether independent bodies such as the UN or Ethiopian Human Rights Commission verify forced recruitment and child soldier allegations; whether federal drone strikes intensify or produce confirmed civilian casualties; whether the TPLF restores internet and phone communications and whether the federal government eases banking restrictions; whether the Mekelle airport reopens or aid corridors are established; and whether fighting spreads toward Addis Ababa or draws in Eritrean and Amhara forces more deeply.