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Mounting worries exist regarding the chance of armed conflict between East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in the previous year that his government's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war broke out in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

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

Eritrean Response to the Statements

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a policy of reclaiming previous domains.

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

Security Preparations on the Border

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in the country, state television has displayed completion events of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Roots of the Conflict

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British military before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this system and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war occurred, ending with military reversal in 1991. Sovereignty was then approved by voters in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, leading to conflict in 1998.

Although this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two endorsed a statement that the conflict was finished – a action that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's recent civil war in the northern region.

Yet diplomatic connections have later worsened again.