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Mounting worries have emerged over the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a heated war of words.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an existential matter, statements that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Statements from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the wish to seize it militarily.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Response to the Claims

In the face of persistent threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on 16 September that attempts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Movements on the Region

So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed training completions of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The leader of staff section of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Previous Origins of the Tension

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by colonial powers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British military before becoming a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

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

A thirty-year internal conflict ensued, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then endorsed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their mutual frontier, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries stayed at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders signed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet relations have later worsened once more.