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Growing apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of military engagement between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational discourse has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has sparked a heated rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it landlocked.

Five years later, a territorial conflict broke out in which over a hundred thousand people died.

Current Remarks from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean southern port of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and implied the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "rectified soon".

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

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

In the face of persistent warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a strategy of reclaiming lost territory.

Eritrean authorities warned on 16 September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Border

So far, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has displayed completion events of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an conversation that the army was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Background of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British administration before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this system and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year internal conflict occurred, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their common border, causing war in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two endorsed a announcement that the conflict was finished – a decision that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet ties have since broken down again.