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Mounting worries exist over the possibility of warfare between Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated war of words.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in last year that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a military clash erupted in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Statements from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and hinted at the desire to capture it through military means.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Threats

Despite persistent threats from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on 16 September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Border

There have been little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, General Hachalu, stated recently in an discussion that the military was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Past Background of the Dispute

For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was administered by colonial powers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the UK forces before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this arrangement and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year civil war ensued, finishing with military reversal in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a vote in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their common border, causing war in 1998.

Though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors continued at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the hostilities was over – a move that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region.

But relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.