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Mounting apprehensions exist about the possibility of military engagement involving East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has escalated in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the desire to capture it through military means.

Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Threats

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that efforts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Region

Currently, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states.

However, in the country, national TV has shown completion events of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The director of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Past Background of the Conflict

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to conflict in 1998.

Although this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader the president. The two signed a announcement that the hostilities was over – a action that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

But relations have later worsened again.