At a base in the rocky hills of north Tigray on Thursday, hundreds of volunteer militiamen began target practice under the supervision of the Ethiopian army, according to witnesses.
Most of the newly-arrived militia were poor farmers dressed in rag-tag outfits and sandals and they were eager to retake their land.
``We hope that international efforts can... bring about a peaceful settlement, but if there is a huge battle for our land, (it) may be that the rivers flow with blood. We will never give up our land,'' one militiaman told Reuters.
Some militiamen raised their guns in the air and sang songs that recalled their battles against Ethiopia's former leftist Dergue regime, overthrown in 1991.
``Over time our ancestors armed only with a sword as their only weapon have defended our land. We have never and we will never kneel to outside aggression,'' said Aragai Mese. ``Everyone in Ethiopia is ready to fight to the death to regain our sovereignty.''