 The Ethiopian military held a ceremony at the capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday to bid farewell to their newest recruits. The mayor's office says 3,000 women and men will join the ranks of Ethiopia's National Defence Force. A ceremony was held in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, bidding farewell to the Ethiopian military's newest soldiers. According to the mayor's office, 3,000 men and women will join the ranks of Ethiopia's National Defence Force. Recruits like 18-year-old Meret Achamo. I am ready to do everything in my capacity for my country, even sacrifice myself. I am ready to give my blood, my life, to protect Ethiopia. Youth from across the country are joining the federal forces, as a war between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the central government spreads. On Sunday, the Amhara region, which neighbours Tigray, called on all young people to take up arms against the TPLF. A resident in the town of Dabak in northern Amhara said he had seen young people lining up on Monday in response to the call. Dabak lies around 25 miles south of Zarema, which the TPLF claims its fighters have reached. That's after seizing their first town in Amhara, Adi Arke, over the weekend, according to spokesman Gita Chureida. A spokesman for the Amhara regional government said the areas are still under Amhara control. Last week, forces loyal to the TPLF also pushed into Afar region to the east, home to the main highway and railway linking Addis with the seaport of Djibouti. Meanwhile, the United Nations has also warned that 24,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray have become cut off from humanitarian aid. Baba Balush, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said violence had escalated in and around the Mayani and Adi Harush camps. Clean drinking water is running out. No healthcare services are available and hunger is a real danger. The last food distribution to both refugee camps was done in late June, which provided them rations for just one month. Thousands of people have died in the Tigray conflict. Around 2 million have been forced from their homes and more than 5 million depend on emergency food aid.