🔗 Share this article

Increasing apprehensions are present about the potential of warfare between East African countries, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as confrontational rhetoric has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

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

Current Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed control of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed tomorrow".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrean Reaction to the Claims

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

The information ministry warned on 16 September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Ground

So far, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

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

Following World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this system and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long civil war ensued, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Independence was then approved by voters in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their shared boundary, leading to conflict in 1998.

Although this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the war was over – a decision that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

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

However ties have subsequently deteriorated again.