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Mounting concerns exist regarding the potential of warfare between East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange.

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

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a long Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, making it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Latest Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "addressed tomorrow".

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

Eritrean Reaction to the Threats

Despite continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to concise remarks on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for sea access calling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that attempts to justify "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Border

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

Nevertheless, in the country, state television has shown training completions of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The director of staff section of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an interview that the military was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Past Background of the Tension

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was administered by Italian rulers.

Following World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor ended this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year civil war occurred, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing hostilities in 1998.

Though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations stayed at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The two agreed to a announcement that the conflict was finished – a decision that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.