Intensifying War of Words Involving Ethiopia and Eritrea Sparks Fears of Armed Clash

Growing concerns exist about the potential of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has provoked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in the previous year that his nation's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea dismissed.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. After a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it without sea access.

Five years later, a border war broke out in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "corrected soon".

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".

Eritrean Response to the Statements

Despite persistent threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been confined to short statements on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for sea access labeling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

The information ministry cautioned on 16 September that moves to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Region

Currently, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in the country, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the army was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Conflict

For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before turning into a integrated region of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended civil war ensued, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, causing conflict in 1998.

Though this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors remained at odds.

This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a declaration that the conflict was over – a action that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous civil war in Tigray.

But diplomatic connections have since broken down once more.