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Growing worries have emerged over the possibility of armed conflict between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in the previous year that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

In 1998, a territorial conflict broke out in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid ongoing warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to short statements on social media from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Eritrean authorities alerted on mid-September that attempts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Border

Currently, there are few indications of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed completion events of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an interview that the military was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Tension

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

Following World War II, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

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

A thirty-year internal conflict ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the exact location of their shared boundary, resulting in war in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations remained at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a declaration that the hostilities was concluded – a move that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

But relations have since broken down anew.