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Growing apprehensions are present over the chance of warfare between Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive rhetoric has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a heated war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in last year that his country's maritime access was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

Five years later, a territorial conflict broke out in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "addressed tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Despite persistent challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a strategy of reclaiming lost territory.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that efforts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Border

Currently, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nevertheless, in the country, state television has shown graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, commented lately in an discussion that the military was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Historical Origins of the Dispute

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by colonial powers.

After World War II, it was then managed by the British military before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long internal conflict ensued, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then approved by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, leading to war in 1998.

Although this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries remained at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a move that earned Abiy the international recognition.

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

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated anew.