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Growing concerns have emerged regarding the possibility of armed conflict among East African neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his country's sea access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "corrected tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrean Reaction to the Statements

In the face of ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

Government spokespeople cautioned on mid-September that moves to validate "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Region

There have been little evidence of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The head of staff section of the defense force, the officer, commented lately in an interview that the army was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was governed by Italian colonisers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this agreement and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long armed struggle followed, finishing with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the exact location of their common border, causing conflict in 1998.

Though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors continued at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was concluded – a move that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in the country's recent civil war in Tigray.

But relations have subsequently deteriorated again.