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Growing worries are present about the possibility of armed conflict between East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his nation's access to the sea was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

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

Current Comments from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and implied the wish to take it by force.

In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

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

Eritrea's Response to the Threats

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to short statements on X from Communications Head Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking former lands.

The information ministry cautioned on recently that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has displayed completion events of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The director of human resources department of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Background of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year armed struggle followed, ending with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to conflict in 1998.

Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries remained at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders signed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a move that gained Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

But ties have subsequently deteriorated again.