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Mounting worries exist regarding the possibility of armed conflict involving East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile discourse has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a intense war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash broke out in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and implied the wish to take it by force.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow".

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

Eritrean Reaction to the Threats

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for sea access describing it as "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back former lands.

Government spokespeople alerted on 16 September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Ground

So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, government media has shown completion events of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of human resources department of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Previous Background of the Tension

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was administered by Italian colonisers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the ruler ended this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year internal conflict occurred, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a announcement that the hostilities was concluded – a action that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region.

But relations have later worsened once more.