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Increasing concerns exist regarding the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has provoked a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in the previous year that his government's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea ignored.

Relations between the both governments have often been tense. After a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and suggested the intention to capture it through military means.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Threats

Despite continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking previous domains.

Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Ground

There have been little evidence of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The director of personnel division of the military, General Hachalu, stated recently in an interview that the army was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Conflict

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

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war occurred, ending with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998.

Although this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries continued at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The two endorsed a declaration that the war was over – a decision that earned Abiy the international recognition.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

But relations have later worsened again.