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Increasing apprehensions are present over the potential of military engagement among East African neighbours, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a heated war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister previously announced in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. After a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a long Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a border war started in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of being denied passage to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "corrected soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

Despite ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been restricted to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel.

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a strategy of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that efforts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Activities on the Ground

Currently, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast completion events of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Origins of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British military before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor ended this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict ensued, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998.

Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries continued at odds.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the conflict was concluded – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then partners in the country's previous internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet ties have since broken down anew.