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Growing apprehensions exist over the possibility of military engagement involving East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a heated war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in last year that his nation's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the both governments have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

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

Latest Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

In the face of ongoing challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on X from Communications Head the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that efforts to justify "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Border

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in the country, government media has displayed training completions of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The head of personnel division of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Past Roots of the Tension

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

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the UK forces before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war occurred, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

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

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the war was concluded – a move that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

Yet ties have subsequently deteriorated anew.