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Mounting apprehensions have emerged about the chance of warfare involving Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a heated war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his country's access to the sea was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

Five years later, a territorial conflict erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and implied the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "corrected in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to concise remarks on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for maritime entry labeling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Border

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

However, in the country, state television has displayed training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The head of human resources department of the defense force, the officer, recently said in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then managed by the British administration before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor ended this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year armed struggle followed, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their shared boundary, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two endorsed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a move that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet diplomatic connections have later worsened again.