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Mounting concerns are present over the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the both governments have regularly been difficult. After a decades-long fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea.

In 1998, a border war started in which numerous people lost their lives.

Current Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and implied the intention to take it by force.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrean Response to the Threats

Despite continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been confined to brief comments on X from Information Minister Yemane G..

He has rejected Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea labeling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains.

Government spokespeople cautioned on mid-September that moves to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Movements on the Ground

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

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Previous Background of the Tension

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers.

After World War II, it was then administered by the British military before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long armed struggle occurred, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Sovereignty was then approved by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Although this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations remained at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a statement that the war was finished – a action that earned the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The two governments were then cooperators in the country's previous civil war in Tigray.

Yet ties have since broken down anew.