Ethiopia parades alleged child soldiers as TDF hits back

Captured Child Soldiers Say Forced To Fight For Fear Of Being Killed By TPLF [Photo: Fana]

NAIROBI, Kenya - The federal government of Ethiopia has paraded alleged child soldiers fighting on behalf of Tigray Defense Forces [TDF] but the separatist faction has come out in defense, accusing Addis Ababa of spreading propaganda.

According to the Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF], TDF fighters have been using child soldiers in their pursuit to control the conflict-prone Tigray region, in the latest development that could change the shape of the narrative with regard to the Tigray war.

The ENDF claimed children captured in various woredas of the Fenti-Resu Zone of Afar region said the arrogant war waged by the junta has demonstrated the shameful and inhumane nature of the group to the world.

The National Defense Force, which is involved in the law enforcement operation, said it has captured many child soldiers at the war front. But on the contrary, TDF sportsman Getachew Rada, dismissed the claims as "baseless" propaganda aimed at tainting TDF's gains in the region.

In a clip, the alleged captured child soldiers told ENA tears swelling in their eyes that the TPLF forced them to go to war. Among them, the teenage girl Eyerusalem Hailay said she was abducted outside her home in Mekelle on July 14, 2021, and deployed to war.

“Without receiving any training or equipment, we were pushed into the war with the empty promise that we will take over Addis Ababa” she added.

So when the war broke out, “I surrendered with peers to the army to save ourselves,” Eyerusalem stated. She claimed to have been forced to join the war in Tigray.

Helen Hadgu, the other girl abducted from her home in Mekelle said she had no idea where she was till they entered the Afar region.

“We were given dry biscuits and drank water from the river,” she stated, adding that she finally gave herself up to the army to save her life.

The other child, Essayas Alem said on his part that the terrorist TPLF has been forcing children in Tigray into war. However, Garowe Online could not establish the authenticity of the claims.

Afar Regional State Prison Deputy Commissioner, Mohammed Ahmed said the pastoralist people of the region and the special force, along with the National Defense Force of Ethiopia, have been destroying TPLF that attempted provocative attack on the region.

The group has been making futile attempts of its longtime dream to dismantle the country using children as soldiers by feeding them drugs, he revealed.

GAROWE ONLINE