Illegal TPLF Faction Exploiting Tigray Youth to Serve Destructive Agendas of Shaebia, Egypt: Former ENDF Officer

Addis Ababa, August 18, 2026 (ENA) —The illegal TPLF faction is exposing the youth of Tigray Region to exploitation to advance the destructive agendas of Eritrea’s regime, Shaebia and Egypt, Colonel Gebrewahid Hailu, stated.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Colonel Gebrewahid, a former Ethiopian National Defense Force officer, said the faction has subjected the people of Tigray to severe hardship while pursuing political and military objectives that serve external interests rather than the welfare of the region’s population.

He identified Egypt and Shaebia as the principal forces behind the anti-Ethiopian “Tsimdo” coalition, portraying the illegal TPLF faction as an instrument carrying out the directives of external actors seeking to weaken Ethiopia.

Colonel Gebrewahid further stated that the faction’s activities, conducted in alliance with domestic extremist elements and external adversaries, are aimed at destabilizing Ethiopia.

According to him, the group’s actions are undermining peace and derailing development efforts.

He recalled that the Pretoria Peace Agreement represented a landmark step toward ending the conflict and addressing the peace and development aspirations of the people of Tigray.

 However, he said the illegal faction is obstructing implementation of the agreement and seeking to impose its own authoritarian control over the region.

Colonel Gebrewahid said the people of Tigray are bearing the consequences of these actions, particularly through the forced recruitment of young people for military purposes.

Recalled that international organizations and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and the European Union, have expressed deep concern over reports of forced military conscription, child recruitment, and a coercive mobilization decree implemented by authorities in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

Colonel Gebrewahid said the recruitment campaign is causing deep distress among families and mothers in Tigray. 

Those who oppose the practice, face arbitrary arrests, abductions and other forms of mistreatment.

The former defense officer further argued that such actions violate Ethiopia’s Constitution, undermine the public interest and run counter to the spirit and objectives of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.

He also drew parallels between the faction’s alleged forced recruitment practices and what he described as the longstanding coercive practices of Shaebia, saying that Eritrea’s ruling group has subjected its own population, as well as Ethiopians and Tigrayans, to repression and displacement.

Shaebia is exploiting the conflict in northern Ethiopia to inflict suffering on the people of Tigray and relationship between the illegal TPLF faction and Shaebia under the “Tsimdo” banner as an alliance detrimental to the public interest, Colonel Gebrewahid underscored.

He said the faction’s treatment of children and youth as instruments of war reflects a disregard for their lives, aspirations and future, arguing that young people should instead be given opportunities for education, employment and development.

According to Colonel Gebrewahid, the leadership of the illegal faction continues to operate in accordance with external interests while showing little regard for the hardships faced by the people of Tigray.

He said the alleged abduction and forced recruitment of young people from their families demonstrates the faction’s disregard for the welfare and rights of the region’s population.

Colonel Gebrewahid said growing opposition among the people of Tigray to the faction’s actions reflects mounting rejection of what he described as a destructive political agenda.

He also called for sustained efforts to free the population from coercion and restore peace, stability and accountable governance in the region.