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Growing concerns have emerged about the chance of armed conflict between Horn of Africa neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a intense war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, making it without sea access.

Five years later, a territorial conflict erupted in which numerous people died.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopia's Government

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and implied the intention to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

In the face of ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on X from Communications Head Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a strategy of retaking previous domains.

The information ministry alerted on mid-September that moves to validate "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

However, in Ethiopia, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, recently said in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries".

Historical Roots of the Conflict

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

Following World War II, it was then managed by the British military before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year civil war followed, ending with military reversal in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the exact location of their common border, causing conflict in 1998.

Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders signed a declaration that the conflict was concluded – a move that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

But ties have since broken down once more.