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Growing worries are present over the possibility of military engagement involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a intense verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his government's sea access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a extensive sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war started in which over a hundred thousand people died.

Current Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the desire to seize it militarily.

Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

Amid continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to concise remarks on X from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a strategy of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on mid-September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Ground

There have been few indications of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Conflict

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was administered by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the ruler ended this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year internal conflict ensued, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors remained at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the hostilities was finished – a action that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

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

However ties have subsequently deteriorated anew.