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Growing concerns exist about the potential of warfare involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as hostile language has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a fierce war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in the previous year that his country's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. After a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

In 1998, a territorial conflict started in which numerous people were killed.

Latest Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Amid continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for maritime entry labeling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

Eritrean authorities warned on mid-September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Ground

So far, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, state television has shown graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps.

The leader of human resources department of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Roots of the Conflict

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by colonial powers.

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

However in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor terminated this system and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict followed, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, causing hostilities in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations stayed at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the conflict was over – a action that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then partners in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 civil war in Tigray.

Yet ties have subsequently deteriorated anew.