🔗 Share this article Intensifying Verbal Conflict Involving Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Triggers Anxieties of Military Confrontation Increasing worries exist about the possibility of warfare involving Horn of Africa neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile rhetoric has escalated in recent weeks. The Ethiopian government and The Eritrean government cooperated in the armed struggle in Tigray but they have since fallen out. What Has Ethiopia Said? Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has triggered a intense verbal exchange. PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in the previous year that his nation's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected. Diplomatic connections between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it cut off from the sea. Subsequently, a border war started in which over a hundred thousand people died. Current Remarks from Ethiopian Officials Prime Minister Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean maritime facility of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to seize it militarily. On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "rectified in the future". The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "using武力". Eritrea's Response to the Claims Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Asmara's position has been restricted to short statements on online platforms from Information Minister the minister. Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea labeling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a strategy of reclaiming previous domains. Government spokespeople warned on 16 September that attempts to justify "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Movements on the Border So far, there are few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations. However, in Ethiopia, national TV has displayed graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps. The head of staff section of the military, General Hachalu, recently said in an interview that the army was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our enemies". Historical Origins of the Conflict For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian rulers. After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia. Yet in 1962 the ruler cancelled this arrangement and Eritrea became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long armed struggle occurred, ending with military reversal in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by Eritreans in a vote in 1993. Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they fell out over the exact location of their mutual frontier, causing hostilities in 1998. Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations remained at in dispute. This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a statement that the war was concluded – a move that gained the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize. The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region. But diplomatic connections have later worsened anew.