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Increasing worries have emerged regarding the possibility of armed conflict between East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a long maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a border war broke out in which numerous people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the wish to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Despite ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on 16 September that attempts to validate "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Border

There have been few indications of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The director of human resources department of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

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

After World War II, it was then administered by the British military before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

But in 1962 the ruler ended this arrangement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended armed struggle ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, resulting in war in 1998.

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

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders signed a statement that the war was finished – a decision that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then partners in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

However ties have subsequently deteriorated once more.