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Mounting worries exist about the possibility of armed conflict between East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his country's maritime access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the neighboring nations have often been tense. After a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it landlocked.

Subsequently, a border war broke out in which more than 100,000 people died.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and suggested the desire to take it by force.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Claims

In the face of ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to short statements on social media from Information Minister the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on 16 September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Border

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Historical Origins of the Dispute

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was governed by Italian colonisers.

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British military before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended armed struggle followed, ending with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their common border, causing hostilities in 1998.

Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a decision that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in Tigray.

However relations have since broken down anew.