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Increasing apprehensions exist about the chance of military engagement among East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has provoked a fierce rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in 2023 that his nation's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it without sea access.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and implied the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "rectified tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrean Answer to the Threats

In the face of continuous threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to brief comments on X from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on 16 September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Border

There have been little evidence of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, General Hachalu, commented lately in an discussion that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Tension

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

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

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

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the exact location of their common border, causing conflict in 1998.

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

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the conflict was finished – a move that won Abiy the international recognition.

The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet relations have later worsened anew.