Eritrea is mobilising military reservists to bolster the army, which has been aiding neighbouring Ethiopia in its fight against rebel forces. Reservists up to the age of 55 have been called up,
Security forces in many areas have been stopping people to check if they are exempt from military conscription. Many in the capital, Asmara, were given notice on Thursday and moved to the border with Ethiopia's Tigray region, within hours. They called on reservists to report to their respective head offices, while also advising that they should carry their own supplies, including blankets and water containers.
Eritrea has compulsory, decades-long military service, which has been widely criticised by human-rights groups, but analysts say the latest mobilisation efforts are linked to the civil war in northern Ethiopia - a conflict that recently flared up again after five months of relative peace. Eritrea has been fighting alongside Ethiopia's central government troops since the civil war broke out in Tigray in late 2020.
Eritrea is isolated diplomatically and is a highly militarised state which controls almost all aspects of people's lives. The repression has led to many young people fleeing the country.
Eritrea's mass mobilisation amid Ethiopia civil war - BBC News
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