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Growing apprehensions are present about the possibility of armed conflict between Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in the last month.

What Did Ethiopia Declared?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has sparked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his country's sea access was an existential matter, comments that Eritrea ignored.

Ties between the two countries have regularly been difficult. Following a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it without sea access.

Five years later, a military clash erupted in which over a hundred thousand people were killed.

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Officials

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted sovereignty of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

In early September, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "addressed tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats

In the face of persistent threats from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Information Minister the minister.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry calling it "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a approach of retaking lost territory.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that moves to legitimise "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Region

There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations.

However, in the country, state television has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of staff section of the military, General Hachalu, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

For decades from 1890, the territory was ruled by colonial powers.

Following World War II, it was then administered by the UK forces before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in the early 1960s the ruler terminated this arrangement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state.

A three-decade long armed struggle followed, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by voters in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998.

Although this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the both countries continued at in dispute.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a declaration that the conflict was over – a action that gained Abiy the international recognition.

The both administrations were then partners in the country's previous civil war in Tigray.

But ties have subsequently deteriorated once more.