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Mounting worries have emerged over the possibility of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational language has escalated in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his government's sea access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it without sea access.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict started in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Comments from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "corrected in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Claims

In the face of ongoing warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to concise remarks on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back lost territory.

Eritrean authorities alerted on recently that moves to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has shown graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The head of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, commented lately in an conversation that the military was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Conflict

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

After World War II, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this arrangement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended internal conflict occurred, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then confirmed by the population in a vote in 1993.

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

Although this finished in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations continued at odds.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the war was finished – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's recent civil war in the northern region.

However relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.