Saturday June 13 2:20 PM EDT
DIANNA CAHN Associated Press Writer
ADIGRAT, Ethiopia (AP) - Under the shade of eucalyptus trees along Ethiopia's road to the front, young and old farmers waved assault rifles Saturday as they danced in a circle and sang of war.
``We will protect our country from Eritrean invasion,'' sang one man in the circle's center. ``Yes,'' chanted the armed dancers, while several hundred unarmed men joined in with claps and cheers.
Raggedly dressed, some in shorts, these men were among what the Ethiopian government says are thousands of volunteers for civil militias, putting down their hoes for guns to help the army fight Eritrean troops at the border.
Clashes that erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia in early May have spread to three fronts in confrontations both sides blame the other for instigating.
The local militias are composed mostly of retired rebels who, with the assistance of Eritrean rebels, overthrew Ethiopia's military dictatorship in 1991.
They have remained over the years to police their areas. Now, feeling betrayed by their former friends, they and younger militiamen are preparing to take up arms against Eritrea.
A team of African leaders appointed by the Organization of African Unity is scheduled to go to Ethiopia and Eritrea later this week to try to find ways to end the conflict. Their efforts will build on a U.S.-Rwanda endeavor that has foundered.
In the meantime, the support of militia volunteers is encouraging to the Ethiopian military.
``They are extremely helpful to us and are boosting our morale,'' Col. Ephrem Bangee said at the Zala Ambessa front on Friday. ``The Ethiopian people are famous for defending their country.''
In a roadside clearing about 20 miles south of Zala Ambessa, several hundred new recruits prepared to go to the front or begin combat training.
``Our country was invaded and I came to save it,'' said 26-year-old farmer Redaye, who like many Ethiopians goes by a single name.
``If I didn't protect them from the invaders, then how could I face my children? How could I keep them safe?'' said the father of two, holding a Kalashnikov assault rifle in one hand and a pack of crackers in the other.
The militiamen are preparing to assist the soldiers at the front lines in guard duty, collecting the wounded or even fighting, said Zanabe, a local official in charge of the area's militia recruits.
Redaye, like all the militia volunteers in the group Saturday, is from the northern Tigray region, whose fighters composed much of the Ethiopian rebel force that fought along with Eritrean rebels to oust a 17-year military dictatorship and bring Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to power.
Eritrean rebels fought a 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia, which they then gained in 1993, leaving most to believe the two countries were solid friends and neighbors. But economic differences, especially over the establishment last year of the Eritrean currency, the nafka, strained relations.
Still, Ethiopians said they were shocked and angered by the Eritrean attacks on civilian targets last week: first bombing a school in the town of Makele, 80 miles south of Adigrat, killing 35 people, mostly children; then dropping bombs on Adigrat, leaving another four dead and 30 wounded.
``The people feel that if things end peacefully it is good because these people know what war is,'' Zanabe said. ``But if things continue, and the bombings go on, then these people are ready to fight.''