Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused Sudan’s SAF-led authorities, Eritrea and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of working together against Ethiopia, while claiming that young people from Tigray are being forcibly recruited and sent to fight in Sudan’s war.
Speaking on Tuesday during a parliamentary session, Abiy said the alleged alignment between Sudan, the TPLF and Eritrea did not pose a serious threat to Ethiopia, even if other unnamed actors were involved, according to Ethiopian media reports.
His reference to “Sudan” appeared to mean the Sudanese state authorities aligned with the SAF-led Port Sudan government, rather than the Rapid Support Forces or the TASIS-linked administration.
Abiy said Sudan, Eritrea and the TPLF had previously cooperated in the campaign that helped topple Ethiopia’s Derg regime in 1991, but argued that they would not be able to achieve a similar result today. He also suggested that additional unnamed actors were backing the alignment, without identifying them.
The Ethiopian leader further claimed that young people in Tigray were being forcibly recruited and sent to fight in neighbouring Sudan, describing the practice as one of the most dangerous challenges facing the region.
“The worst thing is that Tigray’s youth are being sold into Sudan’s war after being taken by force,” Abiy was quoted as saying.
The remarks come amid rising regional accusations over Sudan’s conflict and its spillover into Ethiopia’s internal tensions. Sudan’s SAF-led authorities have accused Ethiopia of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, including through alleged camps in the Benishangul-Gumuz region and drone activity from Bahir Dar.
The RSF has repeatedly accused Tigrayan fighters of taking part in the war on the side of the Sudanese SAF, particularly during operations in central and eastern Sudan.
Separately, Human Rights Watch said this week that Tigrayan authorities had abducted and unlawfully recruited civilians, including children as young as 15, since at least April 2026. The rights group said the campaign had created a climate of fear across Tigray.
However, HRW’s findings relate to forced recruitment inside Tigray and do not independently confirm Abiy’s claim that recruits are being sent to fight in Sudan.
According to witness accounts and videos circulated by residents, Tigrayan forces are allegedly still present in Al Jazira state, where they have been accused of abuses against civilians.
There has been no independent confirmation of the competing claims over Ethiopian, Tigrayan or Sudanese involvement in Sudan’s war.
