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Mounting apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a intense war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

Subsequently, a military clash started in which numerous people were killed.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and hinted at the intention to take it by force.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrean Answer to the Statements

Despite ongoing threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been confined to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of reclaiming lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on recently that moves to justify "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Activities on the Ground

There have been no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, General Hachalu, commented lately in an discussion that the army was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Past Background of the Dispute

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a federated part of Ethiopia.

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

A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, leading to conflict in 1998.

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

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a declaration that the conflict was concluded – a decision that earned Abiy the international recognition.

The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

Yet relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.