July 7, 2026
By Staff Writer
Nairobi, Kenya — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has alleged that Tigray youth are being forcibly recruited and sent to fight in neighboring Sudan’s war, describing the situation as one of the biggest challenges facing the Tigray region.
During a parliamentary session in which he responded to lawmakers’ questions, Abiy said there are daily provocations coming from groups in Tigray. However, he maintained that an alleged link between the TPLF and other groups does not pose a threat to Ethiopia’s sovereignty.
He described the alleged forced recruitment as the biggest challenge facing Tigray today. According to Abiy, Tigrayan youth are being taken against their will and sent to fight in Sudan’s war, despite having no understanding of the conflict. He said many of these young people are dying in a war they know nothing about.
The prime minister did not identify the individuals or groups he was accusing.
Abiy also defended the Pretoria Agreement, describing it as a major peace initiative that has produced tangible results and should not be viewed as merely another political deal.
According to him, one of the agreement’s major achievements was the establishment of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration. He also said more than 60,000 former fighters have participated in the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program and have been released. In addition, many prisoners and detainees have been freed.
He said the people of Tigray are not the ones who created the problem but are instead the ones suffering from it. He also argued that more Tigrayans are living peacefully and moving freely in places such as Dessie, Gondar, Addis Abeba, and Adama than those who remain in Tigray.
Abiy used a metaphor comparing the TPLF to the metal blade of an axe and Eritrea to its wooden handle. He said the blade functions only as a tool without goals of its own, while the handle is controlled by unseen forces. He argued that focusing only on either the blade or the handle would not solve the problem unless those directing them are addressed.
A week earlier, Fetlework Gebregziabher, a member of the TPLF Executive Committee and head of the party’s office, accused the federal government of moving military forces into Tigray in preparation for a new conflict.
She alleged that Ethiopian military units and their allies are being deployed in and around Tigray, claims to which the federal government has not officially responded. She also said the TPLF would not abandon what it describes as the “fundamental interests” of the people of Tigray and accused Addis Ababa of undermining the Pretoria Agreement.
Abiy’s remarks come amid renewed political tensions over the implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.
The agreement brought an end to the two-year Tigray war in November 2022. It halted large-scale fighting, led to the establishment of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration, and initiated the DDR process. However, key provisions—including the withdrawal of non-federal forces from Tigray, the restoration of constitutional order, and the implementation of transitional justice—remain disputed between the parties.
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