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Growing concerns exist over the possibility of armed conflict among East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational discourse has escalated in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a military clash broke out in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the wish to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "corrected tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on recently that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Region

So far, there are little evidence of major military movements in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has displayed training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The director of personnel division of the military, General Hachalu, stated recently in an discussion that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Past Background of the Dispute

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British military before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended internal conflict followed, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then approved by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their common border, leading to war in 1998.

Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries continued at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two endorsed a declaration that the hostilities was finished – a decision that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have later worsened again.