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Growing worries exist about the chance of armed conflict between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile language has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a military clash started in which numerous people lost their lives.

Latest Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrean Answer to the Threats

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to short statements on social media from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea labeling it "risky" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back lost territory.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that moves to validate "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

Currently, there are few indications of major military movements in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has broadcast graduation ceremonies of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an discussion that the army was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, the territory was governed by colonial powers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the ruler terminated this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict occurred, finishing with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries continued at odds.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was over – a move that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's recent civil war in Tigray.

But diplomatic connections have since broken down again.