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Increasing apprehensions have emerged about the chance of armed conflict among East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a intense war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his government's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a border war erupted in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Current Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and implied the desire to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "addressed soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking former lands.

The information ministry alerted on mid-September that attempts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Region

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

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has broadcast completion events of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The leader of personnel division of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Past Roots of the Tension

For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by colonial powers.

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

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year civil war occurred, concluding with military reversal in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their common border, causing conflict in 1998.

Although this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the war was over – a action that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

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

Yet diplomatic connections have later worsened anew.