🔗 Share this article

Increasing worries have emerged over the potential of armed conflict between Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has sparked a intense rhetorical conflict.

The Ethiopian leader previously announced in last year that his government's maritime access was an existential matter, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected.

Relations between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a long Red Sea coastline, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, rendering it cut off from the sea.

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

Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Government

Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrean southern port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrean independence would be "rectified tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "through military action".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Despite ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on X from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry describing it as "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a policy of retaking previous domains.

Eritrean authorities cautioned on recently that attempts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Region

So far, there are few indications of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the both nations.

Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast training completions of many recruits at various military training camps.

The head of staff section of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the army was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".

Past Roots of the Conflict

For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was administered by Italian rulers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then controlled by the British military before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long internal conflict occurred, ending with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by the population in a plebiscite in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the both countries remained at in dispute.

This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the war was over – a decision that won the Prime Minister the international recognition.

The neighboring states were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region.

However diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated again.