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Mounting apprehensions have emerged about the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has intensified in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in last year that his country's sea access was an existential matter, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict broke out in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Abiy and army chief the army commander have directly stated control of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the wish to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Despite persistent warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been restricted to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that efforts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Ground

Currently, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states.

However, in the country, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Past Background of the Dispute

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

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British military before evolving into 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 civil war followed, finishing with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

Though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries remained at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders signed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a decision that gained Abiy the prestigious award.

The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's recent armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet diplomatic connections have later worsened once more.