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Growing apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of armed conflict involving East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a intense verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in 2023 that his government's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it without sea access.

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

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and suggested the wish to seize it militarily.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrean Answer to the Threats

Despite continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to short statements on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea calling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on mid-September that moves to justify "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Region

There have been no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the military, the officer, recently said in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Historical Roots of the Tension

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

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the UK forces before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

Yet in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

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

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations continued at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a move that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous civil war in the northern region.

However ties have subsequently deteriorated again.