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Increasing concerns are present about the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his government's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have often been tense. Following a long-standing struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which numerous people died.

Latest Statements from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed control of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and suggested the intention to seize it militarily.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

In the face of persistent warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea calling it "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking former lands.

The information ministry warned on recently that moves to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Ground

Currently, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations.

However, in the country, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Past Origins of the Tension

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

Following World War II, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year armed struggle ensued, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the exact location of their mutual frontier, causing war in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a declaration that the conflict was over – a move that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

However diplomatic connections have since broken down again.