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Increasing worries exist about the chance of armed conflict among East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in the previous year that his government's maritime access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the neighboring nations have often been tense. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, making it landlocked.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people died.

Current Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and implied the wish to take it by force.

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

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

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

In the face of continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to short statements on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has displayed graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Past Roots of the Dispute

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following World War II, it was then administered by the British military before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the ruler ended this system and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long internal conflict ensued, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by voters in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their common border, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Although this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two endorsed a declaration that the hostilities was finished – a move that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

However relations have subsequently deteriorated again.