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Growing apprehensions exist over the possibility of military engagement between Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Diplomatic connections between the two countries have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Five years later, a border war broke out in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and hinted at the intention to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Answer to the Threats

In the face of ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been confined to short statements on social media from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopia's demand for sea access describing it as "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople warned on recently that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Preparations on the Ground

There have been no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

However, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of thousands of cadets at different defense facilities.

The leader of human resources department of the defense force, General Hachalu, commented lately in an interview that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Conflict

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

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the UK forces before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the ruler ended this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war followed, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Sovereignty was then approved by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their common border, causing hostilities in 1998.

Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries stayed at odds.

This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a announcement that the conflict was finished – a action that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The two governments were then partners in the country's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated again.