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Increasing concerns are present over the possibility of military engagement involving East African neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile language has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has sparked a heated war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Relations between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a military clash started in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and suggested the desire to take it by force.

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

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on X from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

Eritrean authorities warned on mid-September that efforts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" 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 Ground

So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

However, in Ethiopia, government media has shown training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The head of staff section of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Past Roots of the Conflict

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by Italian colonisers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the British military before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this arrangement and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war followed, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries continued at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The two agreed to a statement that the war was concluded – a action that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then partners in the country's recent civil war in the northern region.

But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated again.