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Growing concerns exist regarding the chance of warfare involving East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash started in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, 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 warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to short statements on social media from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a strategy of retaking previous domains.

The information ministry cautioned on recently that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Border

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

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

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Conflict

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, the territory was administered by colonial powers.

Following World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year armed struggle followed, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998.

Although this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The two signed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a decision that earned Abiy the international recognition.

The two governments were then partners in the country's recent armed struggle in Tigray.

But relations have later worsened again.