ADDISABABA: Thousands gathered in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday for a pro-government rally against an alleged forced recruitment campaign by authorities in the northern Tigray region.
AFP reported in June on the recruitment drive in Tigray — which fought a brutal civil war against the central government in 2020-2022 — citing youths who said they had escaped training camps or fled their homes to avoid roundups.
Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that security forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which has ruled the region for decades, were forcibly recruiting young men, including boys as young as 15.
“The Ethiopian government must fulfil its duty to protect the people of Tigray,” read one banner carried by demonstrators in Addis Ababa.
Another read: “Stop trafficking combatants to Sudan!“
