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Mounting apprehensions have emerged over the possibility of warfare involving Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have regularly been difficult. After a decades-long battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

Five years later, a territorial conflict broke out in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and implied the intention to capture it through military means.

Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

In the face of persistent challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of reclaiming former lands.

Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that moves to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Ground

Currently, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed training completions of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The leader of personnel division of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Conflict

For decades from 1890, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war occurred, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, resulting in war in 1998.

Though this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a action that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then partners in the country's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated once more.