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Mounting apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's maritime access was an existential matter, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it landlocked.

Subsequently, a military clash erupted in which over a hundred thousand people died.

Recent Statements from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and implied the desire to capture it through military means.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Response to the Statements

In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a policy of reclaiming previous domains.

Eritrean authorities alerted on mid-September that attempts to justify "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Border

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

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

The director of personnel division of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Background of the Dispute

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by colonial powers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this agreement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war followed, concluding with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to war in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries stayed at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a declaration that the hostilities was over – a decision that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray.

However diplomatic connections have since broken down again.