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

Reports are emerging that a new alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has been forcibly recruiting men and boys — including boys as young as 15 — as renewed fighting spreads across the north of the country. Tigray forced recruitment fears are driving civilians to flee, with witnesses describing men and boys being rounded up on the streets. The fighting erupted on 23 September 2026 between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), shattering the fragile Pretoria peace agreement signed in November 2022.

Key facts

Fighting erupts again in northern Ethiopia

Renewed conflict erupted on 23 September 2026 between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF, which governs the Tigray region. The fighting has shattered the fragile Pretoria peace agreement that ended the brutal 2020–2022 war between the two sides.

Since then the clashes have spread, with Reuters reporting airstrikes and artillery strikes in the north of the country. Al Jazeera has reported that federal forces have retaken Mekelle, the Tigrayan regional capital — a major development in a conflict that aid agencies fear could trigger a fresh humanitarian crisis.

Tigray forced recruitment: what the reports say

As the fighting has spread, reports have emerged that a new alliance of armed groups in Tigray has been forcibly recruiting men and boys into its ranks. Civilians trying to flee have described men and boys being rounded up on the streets.

Human Rights Watch reported in July 2026 that Tigrayan authorities and forces had been forcibly recruiting civilians since at least April that year. According to the rights group, officials carried out nighttime house-to-house searches and seized men and boys from streets, offices, workplaces and gold-mining sites — with one documented case involving a child as young as 15.

Young men flee Tigray

The fear of forced recruitment is pushing young men out of the region. Al Jazeera reported that young Tigrayans are leaving for Addis Ababa, nearly four years after the previous war ended. One 27-year-old said he was taken from his neighbourhood to a local administration office, and that his parents paid 20,000 Ethiopian birr — about $123 — to secure his release.

Another young man, a 24-year-old student at Mekelle University, told Al Jazeera he had been rebuilding his life after the war — studying, running a small language-class business and helping care for his younger siblings — before deciding to leave. He said he had already lived through one war and did not want to face another.

A looming humanitarian crisis

The combination of spreading fighting and forced recruitment points to a deepening crisis in one of Africa’s most fragile regions. The use of children in armed conflict is a grave violation of international law, and rights groups are calling for the reports to be independently investigated.

With communications difficult and aid access uncertain, the full scale of displacement and recruitment remains unclear. Watan News will continue to follow developments in the region as the situation unfolds.

Frequently asked questions

What has Human Rights Watch reported about Tigray?
In July 2026, Human Rights Watch reported that Tigrayan authorities and forces had been forcibly recruiting civilians — including children as young as 15 — since at least April 2026, through nighttime house-to-house searches and roundups at streets, workplaces, homes and gold-mining sites.

When did the fighting resume in Tigray?
Renewed conflict erupted on 23 September 2026 between Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF, breaking the Pretoria peace agreement signed in November 2022.

Who is carrying out the forced recruitment?
Reports describe a new alliance of armed groups in Tigray rounding up men and boys on the streets; Human Rights Watch has attributed the recruitment campaign to Tigrayan authorities and forces. The claims have not been independently verified by Watan News.

Why are civilians fleeing the region?
Civilians are fleeing the spreading fighting and the fear of forced recruitment. Al Jazeera reported that young men are leaving Tigray for Addis Ababa, with some families paying money to secure the release of detained relatives.

What is the latest on the battlefield?
Reuters has reported airstrikes and artillery strikes in northern Ethiopia, while Al Jazeera reported that federal forces have retaken Mekelle, the Tigrayan regional capital.