Rising War of Words Involving Ethiopia and Eritrea Sparks Concerns of Armed Clash

Increasing worries have emerged about the potential of warfare involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive language has escalated in the last month.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the sea coast through Eritrean territory has provoked a fierce rhetorical conflict.

PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in the previous year that his government's sea access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it landlocked.

In 1998, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people died.

Latest Statements from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and implied the wish to capture it through military means.

Recently, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea secession would be "rectified soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been limited to concise remarks on social media from Communications Head Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a policy of reclaiming former lands.

Government spokespeople warned on 16 September that attempts to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Border

There have been little evidence of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in the country, government media has broadcast completion events of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The director of staff section of the defense force, the officer, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Past Background of the Dispute

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

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia.

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

A extended armed struggle followed, concluding with the government's loss in the early 1990s. Independence was then endorsed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors continued at loggerheads.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a announcement that the war was finished – a action that won Abiy the prestigious award.

The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's previous armed struggle in Tigray.

However relations have since broken down once more.