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Increasing worries have emerged regarding the chance of armed conflict among East African countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in 2023 that his government's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have often been tense. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief the army commander have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "addressed tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Threats

Despite persistent threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for maritime entry labeling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Eritrean authorities warned on 16 September that moves to validate "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in the country, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps.

The head of personnel division of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Previous Background of the Conflict

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

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British military before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor ended this system and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended internal conflict occurred, finishing with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations stayed at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a statement that the hostilities was over – a move that won Abiy the international recognition.

The both administrations were then partners in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

But relations have subsequently deteriorated again.