More Than Half a Million Youth in Tigray Region Flee Amid Forced Recruitment Campaign, Journalist Says

Addis Ababa, July 24, 2026 (FMC) — More than half a million young people from the Tigray region have fled to central Ethiopia following what has been described as a forced military recruitment campaign carried out by the outlawed TPLF group across the region, journalist Damora Yahya said.

The journalist said the group has introduced coercive measures and restrictive practices in the region, detaining individuals who oppose its activities and creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among communities.

Damora Yahya, who previously served as a leading news anchor at Tigray Television during the northern Ethiopia law enforcement operation and worked in the region’s media sector for many years, said his professional experience enabled him to understand the group’s operations and the realities surrounding its activities.

“The people of Tigray and the TPLF are not the same, and they cannot be considered the same. The people want to live in peace with their Ethiopian brothers and sisters, but the group has held the people hostage in an attempt to preserve its political power,” Damora said.

He said he decided to speak out to give a voice to the suffering of the people and contribute to efforts aimed at restoring peace, noting that the current situation in the region, the public’s demand for peace, and what he described as the group’s destructive approach have reached a concerning level.

Damora said although the federal government has kept the door open for resolving issues through dialogue and peaceful means, the group’s leaders have rejected peaceful alternatives and continued beating the drums of war.

He said the group fears peaceful public mobilization and democratic demands by the people more than conflict itself, adding that while the people of the region seek peaceful coexistence with fellow Ethiopians, the group continues using them as leverage to maintain its power.

The journalist further stressed that the people of Tigray and the TPLF are separate entities, accusing the group of exposing the population to greater risks in an attempt to conceal its own failures, isolate the region from the federal system, and create divisions among communities.

He said the group’s claim of forming a “strategic alliance” with forces opposed to Ethiopia’s interests and destabilizing actors in the region, while engaging in activities that violate the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the Constitution, reflects a deepening crisis within its leadership.

Damora accused the group of endangering Ethiopia’s sovereignty and security by aligning itself with external forces, describing such actions as a serious historical wrongdoing.

He said the Tigray region has suffered years of instability, with education, health services, and development activities severely affected as a result of prolonged conflict.

According to the journalist, the group has continued to pressure elderly women and force young people into conflict through compulsory recruitment campaigns. He said thousands of young people from the region are fleeing such pressure and heading to central Ethiopia despite paying significant amounts of money to escape.

Damora said the departure of more than half a million people from the region demonstrates the public’s strong opposition to what he described as the group’s destructive path.

He said the situation has contributed to a severe socio-economic crisis, with families facing hardship and young people seeking routes to countries such as Libya and Sudan due to limited opportunities and insecurity.

The journalist accused the group of prioritizing the preservation of political power over the interests of the people, alleging that it has continued activities including illicit trade and the exploitation of young people’s lives.

He warned that the worsening situation requires urgent attention, calling on the Ethiopian people and the federal government to support efforts aimed at protecting the people of the Tigray region from what he described as a destructive group.

Damora called on the group to accept the federal government’s peace call and end the suffering of communities in the region.

He also urged youth and elites from the Tigray region, both inside and outside Ethiopia, to recognize the current reality and become champions of peace, technology and development rather than conflict and destruction.

He stressed that the people of the Tigray region have the right to live peacefully and pursue development in their country, calling on them to stand for peace and unity instead of following leaders who, he alleged, are pursuing conflict and division.