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Increasing worries are present over the potential of armed conflict between East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a intense war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in the previous year that his nation's maritime access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a border war erupted in which numerous people died.

Recent Statements from Ethiopia's Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrean southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrean independence 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 given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to short statements on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains.

The information ministry alerted on 16 September that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Border

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

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The director of staff section of the defense force, General Hachalu, commented lately in an interview that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Past Origins of the Tension

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by colonial powers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors remained at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two signed a announcement that the war was finished – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then partners in Ethiopia's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet relations have since broken down again.