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Growing apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of warfare between Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has escalated in the last month.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

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

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the both governments have often been tense. Following a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it landlocked.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict started in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have directly stated control of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "rectified tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Despite ongoing warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head the minister.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of retaking former lands.

Eritrean authorities warned on mid-September that moves to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Border

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

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the military, General Hachalu, commented lately in an discussion that the military was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Tension

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British military before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this agreement and the region became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war ensued, finishing with military reversal in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their mutual frontier, causing conflict in 1998.

Although this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors remained at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a announcement that the war was concluded – a move that gained the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then allies in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region.

But diplomatic connections have later worsened once more.