By Staff Writer
Nairobi, Kenya — Human Rights Watch has accused officials in Ethiopia’s Tigray region of forcing children, some as young as 15, to join the military.
In a statement released on Monday, July 6, 2026, the rights group said accounts from witnesses, family members of those taken, and escapees indicated that young people were being forcibly recruited into military service illegally.
The organization called on the United States, the European Union, and the African Union to press Tigrayan authorities to end the forced recruitment immediately and release all children being held.
According to Human Rights Watch, officials initially sought to recruit former fighters through public meetings, letters, and phone calls. By late April, however, the effort had escalated into large-scale raids in streets, markets, and gold mining areas.
Witnesses said former fighters, men, and boys were taken from towns across Tigray.
Sources from the region say young people are being abducted on roads, during nighttime searches of homes, and at mining sites. In Adi Gudom, police, militia members, and soldiers from the Tigray Defense Force were reportedly seen forcibly taking day laborers and farmers.
Gold miners near Kola Tembien said dozens of them were detained and told they would become part of Tigrayan forces. One miner said that while he was being transported, a man jumped from the vehicle and was injured.
Those who were taken were reportedly held in office buildings, warehouses, or schools before being transferred to military camps in the northwestern and southern parts of Tigray for training.
Latitia Bader, Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, said, “The campaign by Tigrayan authorities to force men and boys into military service has caused fear throughout the region.”
She added that, under the Geneva Conventions, using people under the age of 18 in the military is a serious violation of children’s rights, while recruiting children under 15 constitutes a war crime.
Human Rights Watch called on officials to end the campaign immediately and release everyone being unlawfully detained.
The organization also urged international bodies, including the African Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to investigate the allegations and publish their findings.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has also stated that most of those being taken are under the age of 18, warning that forced recruitment violates both international law and Ethiopia’s domestic laws.
However, Tigrayan officials have denied the allegations.
Regional spokesperson Mikael Asgedom told BBC Amharic: “This information is not true. If these things were happening, we would have stopped them. As the government and as an organization, we don’t allow such actions.”
Despite the denials, videos shared on social media last week appeared to show young people being rounded up in Mekelle and other towns.
In one video, a school bus was seen loading students outside a school in Mekelle while onlookers watched.
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