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Mounting concerns have emerged regarding the possibility of armed conflict involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive language has intensified in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in last year that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a extensive sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war erupted in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Latest Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid ongoing warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that efforts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

There have been no reports of major military movements in the boundary zones between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast completion events of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Past Roots of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was governed by colonial powers.

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the ruler ended this system and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long internal conflict followed, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing war in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries continued at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders signed a declaration that the war was over – a action that gained Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in the northern region.

However relations have later worsened anew.