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Growing concerns are present about the possibility of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a intense rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his government's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it without sea access.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict broke out in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Claims

Despite ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "risky" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Ground

There have been no reports of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the both nations.

However, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The head of personnel division of the military, General Hachalu, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Previous Background of the Dispute

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by colonial powers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war followed, finishing with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then approved by the population in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The two endorsed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in Tigray.

Yet relations have subsequently deteriorated again.