🔗 Share this article

Growing concerns exist over the potential of warfare involving East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has intensified in the last month.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has triggered a fierce war of words.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in the previous year that his government's sea access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the both governments have regularly been difficult. Following a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it without sea access.

Subsequently, a territorial conflict erupted in which numerous people lost their lives.

Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – about 60km from the border - and suggested the wish to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow".

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

Eritrean Response to the Claims

Despite persistent challenges from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a policy of reclaiming lost territory.

Government spokespeople cautioned on mid-September that attempts to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Region

Currently, there are little evidence of major military movements in the frontier regions between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in the country, state television has broadcast completion events of many recruits at various military training camps.

The head of human resources department of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our enemies".

Past Roots of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was administered by Italian rulers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British military before turning into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

But in 1962 the ruler terminated this system and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A extended armed struggle followed, ending with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, leading to hostilities in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries remained at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the hostilities was concluded – a move that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 armed struggle in the northern region.

But relations have since broken down again.