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Growing apprehensions exist over the potential of military engagement involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his nation's sea access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it without sea access.

In 1998, a military clash started in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

Despite continuous threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to brief comments on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for sea access describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a policy of retaking previous domains.

The information ministry alerted on 16 September that moves to validate "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries.

However, in the country, government media has shown training completions of thousands of cadets at various military training camps.

The head of human resources department of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Conflict

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

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

Yet in 1962 the ruler terminated this system and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict followed, ending with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing war in 1998.

Even though this finished in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a declaration that the war was over – a move that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in the northern region.

But ties have subsequently deteriorated once more.