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Mounting concerns exist over the possibility of military engagement between Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational language has intensified in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified tomorrow".

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

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Despite persistent warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on X from Communications Head Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea labeling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that moves to legitimise "flagrant aggression" 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 little evidence of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown training completions of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Previous Origins of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was governed by Italian colonisers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

But in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

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

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations continued at odds.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a statement that the hostilities was over – a move that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then partners in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in the northern region.

However relations have subsequently deteriorated once more.