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Increasing worries have emerged about the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in 2023 that his government's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a military clash erupted in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the intention to capture it through military means.

In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "rectified in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Threats

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea describing it as "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of retaking previous domains.

The information ministry warned on 16 September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Region

There have been little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

However, in Ethiopia, state television has shown training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the army was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the ruler terminated this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long civil war occurred, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the exact location 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 stayed at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the conflict was finished – a action that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The two governments were then partners in Ethiopia's previous civil war in the northern region.

But ties have since broken down again.