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Mounting concerns exist regarding the chance of warfare involving East African neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational language has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce war of words.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in last year that his government's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea dismissed.

Relations between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, formally separated from Ethiopia in 1993, making it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Officials

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and implied the intention to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

In the face of ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that moves to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Region

There have been no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The head of personnel division of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Previous Origins of the Conflict

For decades from 1890, the territory was governed by colonial powers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the UK forces before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict occurred, ending with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then approved by voters in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, leading to war in 1998.

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

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two signed a statement that the war was over – a move that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in Tigray.

But relations have since broken down once more.