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Increasing apprehensions have emerged about the possibility of warfare among Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

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

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a military clash broke out in which numerous people lost their lives.

Latest Statements from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrean southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the wish to take it by force.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

Amid ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of claiming back previous domains.

Eritrean authorities warned on mid-September that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Border

So far, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown training completions of thousands of cadets at various military training camps.

The head of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British administration before evolving into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the ruler cancelled this agreement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long civil war followed, concluding with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by voters in a plebiscite in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders signed a announcement that the war was concluded – a decision that won Abiy the international recognition.

The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 civil war in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated once more.