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Growing worries exist regarding the potential of warfare between East African countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile language has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense war of words.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in last year that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and army chief the army commander have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

In the face of ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea labeling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back former lands.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on recently that efforts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Ground

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

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has shown training completions of thousands of cadets at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an interview that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Tension

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

Following Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

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

A extended internal conflict occurred, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations remained at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader the president. The two agreed to a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a decision that earned Abiy the international recognition.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

But ties have subsequently deteriorated again.