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Growing concerns exist over the potential of armed conflict involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in last year that his government's access to the sea was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopia in 1993, making it without sea access.

In 1998, a border war broke out in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Recent Comments from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean southern port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and suggested the desire to take it by force.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "corrected tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Answer to the Statements

Despite persistent warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to concise remarks on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for maritime entry describing it as "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a policy of reclaiming previous domains.

Eritrean authorities warned on recently that efforts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Border

There have been few indications of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the two countries.

However, in the country, national TV has shown completion events of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The head of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, recently said in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "tens of thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Previous Roots of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

After World War II, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia.

But in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year civil war ensued, concluding with military reversal in 1991. Sovereignty was then approved by the population in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership 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 concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors continued at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President the president. The two agreed to a declaration that the hostilities was over – a decision that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

However diplomatic connections have since broken down once more.