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Increasing apprehensions have emerged regarding the potential of military engagement among East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile language has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in the previous year that his government's sea access was an existential matter, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a military clash broke out in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Comments from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

Amid continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry describing it as "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of claiming back former lands.

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

Military Movements on the Border

There have been few indications of major military movements in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

However, in the country, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The director of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian colonisers.

Following World War II, it was then managed by the British military before turning into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in the early 1960s the ruler ended this system and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year internal conflict ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Though this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations remained at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The two agreed to a statement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in the northern region.

But ties have since broken down anew.