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Mounting worries exist over the chance of armed conflict among East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in 2023 that his government's access to the sea was an existential matter, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

Five years later, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader the army commander have openly claimed control of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and suggested the wish to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on X from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a strategy of claiming back former lands.

Government spokespeople alerted on mid-September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the army was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Dispute

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was governed by colonial powers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year armed struggle occurred, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

Even though this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders endorsed a declaration that the hostilities was over – a decision that won Abiy the international recognition.

The two governments were then allies in the country's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet ties have later worsened once more.