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Growing apprehensions are present over the chance of armed conflict between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational language has intensified in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his country's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the both governments have regularly been difficult. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

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

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and suggested the wish to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrean Reaction to the Threats

In the face of ongoing warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been confined to brief comments on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea labeling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on recently that attempts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Ground

So far, there are little evidence of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has displayed graduation ceremonies of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The leader of staff section of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Past Roots of the Tension

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

After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this system and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended civil war followed, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then approved by voters in a vote in 1993.

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

Although this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations continued at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a announcement that the hostilities was over – a decision that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region.

However relations have subsequently deteriorated again.