🔗 Share this article

Growing concerns have emerged about the chance of warfare between Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in 2023 that his country's sea access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Diplomatic connections between the both governments have often been tense. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which numerous people were killed.

Current Statements from Ethiopian Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the desire to take it by force.

In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "rectified soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "using武力".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry describing it as "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a strategy of claiming back previous domains.

The information ministry alerted on recently that efforts to justify "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Border

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has broadcast training completions of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases.

The director of human resources department of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Previous Origins of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers.

After World War II, it was then administered by the UK forces before becoming a federated part of Ethiopia.

But in the early 1960s the ruler cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long internal conflict ensued, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing war in 1998.

Although 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 overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a move that won the Prime Minister the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's recent civil war in the northern region.

However ties have since broken down once more.