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Mounting concerns exist over the chance of warfare among East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has provoked a intense war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have often been tense. After a decades-long fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict started in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrea's Response to the Threats

Despite ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for sea access calling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking previous domains.

Eritrean authorities warned on 16 September that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Region

So far, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, state television has displayed completion events of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The leader of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Tension

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

Following World War II, it was then managed by the British military before evolving into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s the ruler ended this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war followed, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then confirmed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their common border, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned Abiy the international recognition.

The neighboring states were then partners in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated anew.