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Mounting apprehensions are present about the chance of military engagement involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile language has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a fierce rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in last year that his country's access to the sea was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. Following a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it without sea access.

Five years later, a border war started in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrean Response to the Statements

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to concise remarks on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for maritime entry describing it as "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking former lands.

Government spokespeople cautioned on mid-September that moves to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Ground

So far, there are few indications of major military movements in the border areas between the two countries.

Nonetheless, in the country, national TV has shown training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Previous Origins of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in 1962 the ruler cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long armed struggle followed, finishing with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then confirmed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was concluded – a decision that earned the Prime Minister the international recognition.

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

Yet relations have since broken down again.