Ethiopia’s TPLF detaining civilians fleeing forced conscription, relatives of detained youth say
In an e-mail sent to Sudans Post this morning, three Tigrayans living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said seven of their relatives and five of their friends were arrested at Adi Ramet village last Monday by Tigray forces after trying to flee forced conscription to neighboring Sudan.
Ethiopia’s rebellious Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is reportedly detaining hundreds of civilians who attempted to flee forced conscription introduced by the rebel group, three women whose relatives are allegedly being detained by the rebel group said.
Last month, Ethiopian federal government agencies said they had intelligence information indicating that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front was preparing for war amid reports of mass mobilization involving top political and military leaders of the rebel movement.
In an e-mail sent to Sudans Post this morning, three Tigrayans living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said seven of their relatives and five of their friends were arrested at Adi Ramet village last Monday by Tigray forces after trying to flee forced conscription to neighboring Sudan.
“This is to inform the whole world that the war in Tigray region is not only between the political and military leadership of the Tigray region and the federal government of Ethiopia. It has now taken a different torn as the TDF is arresting civilians just because they refused to fight a senseless war,” the three Tigrayans who asked not to be named said in the email.
“Seven of our family members and five of our friends left Mekelle on Wednesday last week trying to flee the forced recruitment towards Sudan. But unfortunately the Tigray regime under Debretsion arrested them and charged them under military rule for trying to evade what they call ‘national duty’ to protect the Tigray region,” they said.
The three refugees appealed to the international community to pressure the Tigray rebels to accept peace and not to take the Tigray children to conflict where they will die again and also appealed to Debretsion personally to investigate the arrest of civilians if he did not directed for forced recruitment.
“This is not the first time that civilians were arrested for refusing to join the TDF because hundreds, from our information, are being detained by the government of Tigray and therefore we urge the international community to pressure the TPLF not to continue war and accept peace,” they said.
“We also appeal to the chairman of TPLF Debretsion Gebremichael to allow anyone willing to leave the regional state to do so without any fear of being arrested or detained and we also ask you to led the security investigate the arrest of our relatives if you deny your actions of ordering recruitment,” they added.