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Mounting worries have emerged about the chance of military engagement involving Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as hostile discourse has intensified in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's sea access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Ties between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive sea border, formally separated from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Comments from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and hinted at the wish to seize it militarily.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "addressed tomorrow".

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

Eritrea's Response to the Statements

Amid ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on social media from Communications Head Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for sea access describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

Eritrean authorities warned on 16 September that efforts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

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

The head of human resources department of the defense force, General Hachalu, recently said in an interview that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Previous Roots of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was governed by colonial powers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war ensued, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their common border, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Although this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The two signed a statement that the hostilities was concluded – a move that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 internal conflict in Tigray.

Yet ties have since broken down anew.