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Mounting apprehensions have emerged regarding the chance of armed conflict among East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational language has intensified in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has sparked a heated rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his country's sea access was an existential matter, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, making it without sea access.

Subsequently, a military clash broke out in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the intention to take it by force.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to concise remarks on social media from Communications Head Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking previous domains.

Eritrean authorities alerted on recently that moves to validate "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of major military movements in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in the country, government media has displayed graduation ceremonies of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Previous Background of the Tension

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

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before becoming a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, leading to war in 1998.

Though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries remained at odds.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a declaration that the hostilities was over – a move that gained the Prime Minister the international recognition.

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

But relations have since broken down again.