🔗 Share this article

Mounting concerns are present about the potential of armed conflict between Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated?

Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has triggered a heated verbal exchange.

Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in 2023 that his government's sea access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea ignored.

Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. After a decades-long struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives.

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and suggested the wish to capture it through military means.

Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of losing access to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified soon".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "through military action".

Eritrea's Answer to the Claims

Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea calling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a approach of reclaiming previous domains.

The information ministry warned on mid-September that attempts to validate "blatant hostility" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its regional partners and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Border

So far, there are no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the two countries.

Nevertheless, in the country, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.

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 recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers.

After the end of Italian rule, it was then managed by the UK forces before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia.

Yet in the early 1960s the ruler ended this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into Ethiopia.

A extended internal conflict ensued, ending with military reversal in 1991. Sovereignty was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

For a few years in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998.

Even though this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors continued at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in the country's previous internal conflict in the northern region.

However diplomatic connections have since broken down again.