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Mounting concerns are present over the chance of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, legally broke away 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 died.

Latest Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and suggested the intention to seize it militarily.

In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a policy of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on recently that efforts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Ground

There have been little evidence of major military movements in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The director of staff section of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an interview that the military was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Past Background of the Dispute

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

After World War II, it was then managed by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended armed struggle ensued, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their common border, leading to war in 1998.

Although this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors continued at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a statement that the hostilities was concluded – a move that gained the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

But ties have since broken down anew.