Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters in Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia, June 30, 2021.
(Nairobi) – Regional authorities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region should withdraw a proclamation that purports to grant them sweeping powers to compel military service and punish dissent, Human Rights Watch said today.
Tigray’s main political party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), issued the proclamation in early June 2026 after driving out regional leaders appointed by the federal government and initiating an intensive conscription drive that bears similarities to Eritrea’s abusive national service system.
“Tigrayans are still reeling from a devastating two-year conflict and its aftermath,” said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities in the region should not respond to ongoing political tensions by forcing civilians into military service while simultaneously punishing criticism of such forced conscription.”
The security and mobilization proclamation contains vague and overly broad language that is open to abuse, and stipulates imprisonment and the death penalty as punishment for a range of offenses. The proclamation was adopted amid increasing tensions between the TPLF and the Ethiopian federal government, sparking fears of further atrocities against Tigrayan civilians.
During the 2020-2022 armed conflict in northern Ethiopia, Tigrayan forces fought against Ethiopian federal forces and their allies, before signing a truce in November 2022. The conflict was marked by serious atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Although the truce, known as the Pretoria Agreement, ended active hostilities, rights abuses have persisted in the region.
Since 2025, the federal government and the TPLF have disputed both how to carry out the truce and to govern the region. Each side has accused the other of m
