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Growing concerns have emerged regarding the possibility of military engagement among East African countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a border war broke out in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Current Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "rectified in the future".

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

Eritrea's Response to the Statements

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea labeling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that moves to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Border

Currently, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

However, in the country, government media has shown training completions of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

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

Following World War II, it was then administered by the British military before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended armed struggle ensued, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in war in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a action that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

But ties have since broken down again.