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Growing apprehensions are present about the chance of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has provoked a intense rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in 2023 that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

Subsequently, a military clash erupted in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily.

Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

Despite continuous threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been limited to brief comments on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a approach of reclaiming lost territory.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Border

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has displayed training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The head of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British military before evolving into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year armed struggle followed, finishing with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

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

Even though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries remained at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the hostilities was concluded – a action that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

However relations have since broken down again.