A wave of grief and public indignation has swept through the village of May Hrus in Madabay Welel, located within the La’ilay Maychew Woreda, central Tigray, following the killing of 28-year-old Tesfay Gebre by armed members of Army 17 during a forced-conscription sweep locally known as Gifa. He was shot and killed on July 24 at 9:00 p.m. local time.
Tensions Escalate at Kal’aay Qebri
A Kal’aay Qebri, a traditional second funeral service typically held in a deceased person’s home village when they die or are buried elsewhere, was held for Tesfay Gebre on July 26. In Tigrayan culture, this ceremony allows neighbors, friends, and family to gather, mourn collectively, and support the grieving household even without the physical body present.
The gathering was attended by senior military commanders, including an officer identified as Wedi Yazol, who sought to appease the community. However, community members attending the memorial expressed their outrage.
Severe Injuries and Looting
Reports from local sources indicate that the violence extended far beyond the fatal shooting of Tesfay Gebre. Several other young men were subjected to severe physical beatings with sticks and rifle butts, including Fisseha Yemane Araya, a young youth who suffered heavy beatings, and Amanuel Melke Welearegay, who sustained critical bodily injuries from physical assaults.
Another victim, Merha Zenfo Belay, was heavily bruised from severe beatings, while Halefom Berhane Reda suffered critical head trauma after falling off a steep cliff while attempting to flee the gunfire in the dark.
Eyewitnesses also reported widespread looting during the raid. Armed soldiers allegedly robbed local residents of thirteen mobile phones alongside a substantial sum of cash, which included money forcibly taken from a local woman operating a traditional Suwa business.
Community Resistance, Unfolding Detentions, and Accountability
Following the shooting, local residents mobilized swiftly to prevent the armed soldiers from escaping toward the neighboring woreda of Chila in a military patrol truck. Community members blocked the roads and alerted local police and militias.
Cornered by the crowd, the soldiers disembarked, surrendered their weapons, and were taken into custody at the local police station. The patrol truck itself, heavily damaged by rocks and sticks thrown by the crowd, remains impounded by residents who insist it will not be released until justice is served.
During the Kal’aay Qebri, army officials claimed the soldiers acted without orders or authorization to enter the village and promised that proportionate measures would be taken against those responsible. These assurances have done little to soothe the community’s outrage.
Unverified reports suggest that the local police and militia members who assisted in stopping the vehicle and apprehending the soldiers have themselves been detained by higher authorities, a situation local observers are currently investigating.
Tesfay Gebre was a hardworking young man and the only son of his elderly parents. As their primary caregiver and sole breadwinner, he carried the responsibility of supporting and caring for them.
Forced Conscription, Denials, and the New Proclamation
The tragedy in May Hrus occurs against the backdrop of an escalating military mobilization across Tigray, locally referred to as Gifa.
Following mounting regional political tensions and fractures within local political structures, regional authorities launched an aggressive recruitment drive. Armed forces and local administration officials have reportedly conducted door-to-door roundups, street sweeps, and raids on workplaces, including gold-mining sites, to forcibly enlist young men and former combatants.
Rather than voluntary enlistment, young civilians across the region are being arbitrarily detained in local administration buildings, police stations, and schools before being transported to military training camps.
Despite mounting eyewitness accounts and growing public outcry, regional authorities and military spokespersons have repeatedly attempted to deny allegations of abusive forced recruitment.
However, the official narrative of voluntary enlistment was starkly contradicted during a recent public gathering in Abiy Addi, broadcast on party media. Addressing the crowd, a local TPLF official attempted to downplay claims of Gifa, stating: "It is not gifa. We ask them first; if they say no, we force them based on the new law."
The blunt admission, defining mandatory compliance under threat of force as anything other than conscription, heightened deep public cynicism regarding the administration’s claims.
To formalize these coercive measures, the TPLF-controlled council recently introduced a controversial defense proclamation establishing compulsory military service for all eligible citizens.
The law severely curtails civil liberties by criminalizing draft evasion, desertion, and any public opposition to recruitment efforts. Under the sweeping regulations, individuals who criticize mobilization campaigns, advocate against conscription, or share unapproved security information face steep financial fines and prison sentences of up to 25 years.
Media platforms and online activists attempting to report on forced recruitment also face severe legal penalties and bans.
The enforcement of this mobilization has deeply fractured communities, particularly targeting the families of young men who resist.
When draft-eligible youth go into hiding or flee, local authorities and security forces have retaliated against their relatives. Mothers, elderly parents, and spouses have faced arbitrary detention, intimidation, and heavy fines in an attempt to compel their family members to surrender.
This systemic pressure on households, punishing mothers for protecting their sons, has fueled widespread community anger, turning private grief into public acts of collective resistance in some places in the region.
Originally published on UMD Media Facebook on 2026-07-30T09:00:00-06:00. Source: https://www.facebook.com/getachew.UMDMedia
