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Growing concerns are present about the possibility of warfare between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrea has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his nation's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Relations between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a long Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

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

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and implied the wish to take it by force.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

In the face of continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been confined to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on 16 September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has broadcast training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The head of personnel division of the armed forces, General Hachalu, commented lately in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Past Background of the Tension

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

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A extended internal conflict occurred, ending with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by voters in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to conflict in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries stayed at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a announcement that the hostilities was concluded – a action that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then partners in the country's previous armed struggle in the northern region.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated once more.