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Increasing worries have emerged about the potential of armed conflict among Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

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

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it without sea access.

In 1998, a military clash started in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "addressed in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Threats

In the face of persistent threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to concise remarks on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a strategy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that moves 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 Preparations on the Ground

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has displayed training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The head of staff section of the military, the officer, commented lately in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Origins of the Tension

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

After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict followed, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

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

Even though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations stayed at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was finished – a decision that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The two governments were then partners in the country's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

However ties have subsequently deteriorated again.