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Increasing concerns are present over the chance of warfare between East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a fierce rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopia's Officials

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and implied the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to brief comments on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking lost territory.

The information ministry cautioned on recently that attempts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Ground

So far, there are no reports of major military movements in the border areas between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast completion events of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The director of staff section of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an discussion that the army was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Historical Origins of the Tension

For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this agreement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war ensued, ending with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing war in 1998.

Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations stayed at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a announcement that the war was finished – a move that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's recent civil war in the northern region.

But relations have later worsened again.