Young men flee Tigray amid fears of forced recruitment

Nearly four years after the Pretoria-brokered deal that halted large-scale fighting in Tigray, young men in the region report fleeing to avoid being drawn back into combat. Several people interviewed by Al Jazeera described episodes in which young men were taken to local administration offices, with at least one family paying to secure a son’s release. Others said they left their homes, studies and small businesses to seek safety in Ethiopia’s capital. Human Rights Watch documented cases it says involved forced recruitment of civilians and former fighters, and reported that some recruits were minors aged 15 and up. The organisation described instances of people being taken from streets, workplaces and gold-mining sites, and said a mobilisation proclamation introduced in June criminalised desertion and actions by relatives to stop conscription. Tigrayan authorities and the TPLF have disputed claims that recruitment is coercive, with a TPLF spokesman previously characterising the allegations as a mistaken narrative; he did not respond to requests for comment linked to this reporting. Analysts and local researchers say the reported mobilisation should be seen in the context of unresolved political and security issues left by incomplete implementation of the Pretoria Agreement, including contested territory, displaced populations and the disarmament question. For many survivors of the previous war, the prospect of another mobilisation is intolerable. Those who fought earlier describe disillusionment after seeing wounded fighters and bereaved families struggle post-conflict, and say renewed calls to return to arms are driving some to flee rather than risk being taken back to the battlefield. Human Rights Watch and local accounts indicate that fear of forced conscription, together with ongoing humanitarian needs, continues to push young people out of Tigray.