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Mounting concerns exist about the chance of armed conflict between East African countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has escalated in the last month.

What Did Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's sea access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have often been tense. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a long maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a border war broke out in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Latest Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and suggested the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

In the face of persistent threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on recently that moves to validate "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Ground

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown completion events of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The head of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Past Roots of the Conflict

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

Following World War II, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the ruler terminated this system and the region became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended civil war occurred, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Sovereignty was then endorsed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two endorsed a declaration that the hostilities was finished – a move that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in the country's previous internal conflict in the northern region.

However ties have since broken down anew.