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Increasing concerns have emerged over the chance of warfare among East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for passage to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a intense rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's sea access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a territorial conflict erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Statements from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrea's southern port of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid continuous threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "risky" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a strategy of retaking lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on 16 September that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Ground

There have been no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed completion events of many recruits at multiple army bases.

The leader of personnel division of the armed forces, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "strong stance" as "many thousands of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our adversaries".

Past Roots of the Dispute

For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers.

Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 the ruler ended this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long civil war occurred, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then confirmed by voters in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The two signed a declaration that the war was concluded – a decision that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The two governments were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region.

However relations have subsequently deteriorated once more.