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Growing apprehensions have emerged about the potential of military engagement between Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has escalated in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his nation's access to the sea was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have often been tense. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a territorial conflict started in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopia's Officials

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and hinted at the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Answer to the Threats

Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to concise remarks on X from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that attempts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Region

Currently, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the two countries.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Previous Roots of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British military before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and the region became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long civil war followed, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by voters in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, resulting in war in 1998.

Even though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations remained at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a action that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's previous civil war in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have later worsened anew.