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Growing apprehensions exist about the possibility of warfare among Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has provoked a intense verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have regularly been difficult. After a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a territorial conflict broke out in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader the army commander have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of retaking previous domains.

Eritrean authorities alerted on 16 September that moves to justify "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Ground

There have been no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

However, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast completion events of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Previous Background of the Conflict

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a federated part of Ethiopia.

Yet in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat 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 Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their mutual frontier, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two agreed to a statement that the war was finished – a action that gained the Prime Minister the international recognition.

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

However relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.