🔗 Share this article Rising War of Words Between Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Raises Concerns of Military Confrontation Growing worries exist about the possibility of armed conflict between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has intensified in recent weeks. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea worked together in the armed struggle in northern Ethiopia but they have later become estranged. What Did Ethiopia Stated? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a heated war of words. PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in 2023 that his country's sea access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea dismissed. Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access. Five years later, a military clash erupted in which numerous people died. Current Statements from Ethiopia's Government Abiy and military leader the army commander have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily. Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea secession would be "corrected in the future". The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be returned "through military action". Eritrea's Reaction to the Threats Despite continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G.. He has rejected Ethiopia's push for maritime entry describing it as "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking previous domains. Government spokespeople alerted on 16 September that efforts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Security Movements on the Ground Currently, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states. Nonetheless, in the country, state television has shown completion events of many recruits at different defense facilities. The leader of human resources department of the military, General Hachalu, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of youths" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our opponents". Past Background of the Conflict For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers. After Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the British military before becoming a federated part of the Ethiopian empire. However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this system and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia. A thirty-year internal conflict occurred, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a vote in 1993. Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, causing hostilities in 1998. Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds. This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a action that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize. The two governments were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in the northern region. However ties have since broken down once more.