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Growing apprehensions are present about the possibility of armed conflict among East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the both governments have often been tense. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it landlocked.

Five years later, a military clash started in which numerous people were killed.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and suggested the intention to seize it militarily.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession 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 Reaction to the Statements

Amid persistent challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to short statements on social media from Information Minister the minister.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for sea access calling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back previous domains.

Eritrean authorities warned on recently that moves to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Region

So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an interview that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Historical Background of the Conflict

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this system and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war followed, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the exact location of their shared boundary, causing war in 1998.

Though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was concluded – a move that earned Abiy the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then allies in the country's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

However ties have since broken down once more.