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Mounting concerns exist about the possibility of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in the previous year that his nation's access to the sea was an existential matter, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Statements from Ethiopia's Officials

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrean Answer to the Statements

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on X from Communications Head the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry describing it as "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Region

There have been little evidence of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The leader of personnel division of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the army was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Background of the Conflict

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by Italian rulers.

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

However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended civil war ensued, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Sovereignty was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their common border, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Although this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries remained at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President the president. The two signed a statement that the hostilities was over – a decision that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The two governments were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

But diplomatic connections have since broken down again.