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Mounting apprehensions exist about the chance of armed conflict between East African neighbors, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the both governments have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and suggested the wish to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "corrected in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Amid persistent warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to short statements on X from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a strategy of reclaiming former lands.

Eritrean authorities warned on 16 September that moves to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

Currently, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of human resources department of the defense force, General Hachalu, commented lately in an interview that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Origins of the Tension

For decades from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following World War II, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the ruler cancelled this arrangement and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A extended armed struggle occurred, finishing with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their mutual frontier, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Although this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries remained at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two endorsed a statement that the conflict was finished – a move that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in the northern region.

However relations have later worsened once more.