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Increasing worries exist about the possibility of warfare between East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in 2023 that his nation's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Recent Statements from Ethiopia's Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Despite ongoing threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back former lands.

Eritrean authorities warned on recently that moves to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Border

So far, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of personnel division of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an discussion that the military was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended armed struggle occurred, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then endorsed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing war in 1998.

Though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a declaration that the conflict was concluded – a decision that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then partners in the country's previous civil war in Tigray.

However ties have since broken down once more.