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Mounting worries have emerged about the chance of armed conflict among East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has intensified in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a intense rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in 2023 that his government's sea access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

In 1998, a military clash started in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Amid ongoing threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that attempts to justify "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Border

Currently, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The head of personnel division of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the army was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this system and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year armed struggle occurred, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their common border, leading to war in 1998.

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

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the war was finished – a move that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated once more.