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Mounting concerns have emerged over the chance of warfare among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has escalated in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a heated rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in last year that his country's sea access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Relations between the two countries have often been tense. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it without sea access.

Subsequently, a military clash started in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted control of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and suggested the intention to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "rectified tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

In the face of ongoing challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea calling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a strategy of claiming back former lands.

Eritrean authorities warned on recently that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Region

There have been little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The director of human resources department of the defense force, the officer, recently said in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Conflict

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

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British military before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this system and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A extended internal conflict followed, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in conflict in 1998.

Even though this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations stayed at odds.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then allies in the country's previous civil war in Tigray.

But ties have subsequently deteriorated once more.