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Increasing apprehensions exist regarding the chance of military engagement among Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his government's sea access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the two countries have often been tense. After a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, making it without sea access.

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

Current Comments from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have directly stated control of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and hinted at the intention to capture it through military means.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Answer to the Statements

Amid ongoing challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head the minister.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry cautioned on mid-September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Region

Currently, there are few indications of major military movements in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Roots of the Tension

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by Italian rulers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

However in the early 1960s the ruler terminated this system and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war occurred, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors continued at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The two endorsed a statement that the hostilities was over – a move that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

But ties have since broken down anew.