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Increasing concerns are present regarding the possibility of warfare involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in 2023 that his nation's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash broke out in which more than 100,000 people died.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Abiy and military leader the army commander have openly claimed ownership of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "corrected soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Answer to the Threats

Amid ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that efforts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit 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 both nations.

Nevertheless, in the country, national TV has shown graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The head of human resources department of the military, General Hachalu, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Origins of the Dispute

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 the ruler terminated this agreement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year internal conflict ensued, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Though this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the war was finished – a action that earned Abiy the international recognition.

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

But diplomatic connections have since broken down anew.