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Growing apprehensions exist regarding the potential of warfare involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive rhetoric has escalated in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have often been tense. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it landlocked.

Five years later, a border war broke out in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Statements

Despite persistent warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head the minister.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea calling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of retaking previous domains.

Eritrean authorities alerted on recently that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Border

So far, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an discussion that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Dispute

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

Following World War II, it was then administered by the British military before becoming a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long internal conflict occurred, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998.

Although this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a decision that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then allies in the country's recent armed struggle in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have later worsened once more.