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Mounting apprehensions exist over the possibility of warfare involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his government's access to the sea was an existential matter, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it landlocked.

Subsequently, a military clash started in which numerous people died.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Officials

Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrean Answer to the Statements

In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking former lands.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that moves to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Ground

Currently, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, national TV has broadcast completion events of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The director of staff section of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an interview that the army was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Previous Origins of the Dispute

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

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor ended this agreement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war ensued, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Although this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries remained at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The two agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was concluded – a action that won Abiy the international recognition.

The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in the northern region.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated anew.