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Mounting concerns exist regarding the potential of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a heated rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's sea access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Relations between the both governments have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a long maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a territorial conflict broke out in which over a hundred thousand people died.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and hinted at the desire to seize it militarily.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing access to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

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

Eritrea's Answer to the Claims

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to short statements on X from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea labeling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on mid-September that attempts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Ground

So far, there are no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the both nations.

However, in the country, national TV has displayed completion events of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of human resources department of the military, General Hachalu, recently said in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Past Roots of the Dispute

For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by colonial powers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this agreement and the region became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long civil war ensued, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations stayed at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was over – a decision that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in the northern region.

But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated again.