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Increasing worries are present over the possibility of armed conflict between East African countries, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a heated war of words.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it without sea access.

Five years later, a border war started in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon".

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

Eritrean Answer to the Claims

In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea labeling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a policy of retaking lost territory.

Eritrean authorities warned on mid-September that attempts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

Currently, there are few indications of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in the country, government media has shown completion events of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The director of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

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

A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their common border, causing war in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations remained at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the war was finished – a decision that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The two governments were then partners in Ethiopia's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.