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Increasing apprehensions exist over the chance of military engagement between Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a intense rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's sea access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. Following a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

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

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and implied the intention to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrean Answer to the Claims

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to concise remarks on X from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Ground

So far, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Previous Origins of the Dispute

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then managed by the British military before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this agreement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war followed, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing conflict in 1998.

Though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a declaration that the hostilities was concluded – a decision that gained the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then partners in Ethiopia's recent armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet relations have later worsened anew.