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Increasing concerns exist regarding the chance of military engagement involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile language has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a heated war of words.

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

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

Five years later, a military clash started in which numerous people died.

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "rectified tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Claims

In the face of continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for maritime entry describing it as "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry warned on recently that efforts 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 Ground

So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nevertheless, in the country, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The director of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Previous Roots of the Conflict

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

Following World War II, it was then administered by the British administration before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long internal conflict followed, ending with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries continued at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The two agreed to a statement that the hostilities was over – a move that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's previous civil war in the northern region.

Yet relations have since broken down again.