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Growing apprehensions exist about the chance of military engagement between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in 2023 that his nation's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the neighboring nations have often been tense. After a decades-long fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

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

Current Statements from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and suggested the desire to take it by force.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Response to the Threats

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking former lands.

Government spokespeople warned on recently that attempts to validate "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Region

There have been no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has shown training completions of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The leader of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, commented lately in an conversation that the army was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Past Background of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was administered by colonial powers.

Following World War II, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long internal conflict followed, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their common border, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a declaration that the hostilities was over – a move that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

But ties have later worsened once more.