Intensifying Rhetorical Battle Among Ethiopia and Eritrean Government Triggers Anxieties of Armed Clash

Increasing apprehensions have emerged regarding the potential of armed conflict involving East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has intensified in the last month.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his country's sea access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, making it landlocked.

Subsequently, a border war erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a strategy of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople warned on 16 September that moves to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Region

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

However, in Ethiopia, government media has shown training completions of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Conflict

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British military before evolving into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

But in the early 1960s the ruler ended this system and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A extended armed struggle followed, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the exact location of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Even though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations continued at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the war was finished – a action that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then partners in the country's previous internal conflict in Tigray.

But ties have later worsened once more.