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Growing worries exist over the possibility of armed conflict among Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational rhetoric has escalated in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopian Officials Said?

Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a fierce war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in the previous year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored.

Ties between the two countries have often been tense. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it without sea access.

Five years later, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people were killed.

Latest Comments from Ethiopia's Leadership

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrea's maritime facility of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to take it by force.

On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Claims

In the face of ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.

Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "irredentism" – a policy of reclaiming lost territory.

Government spokespeople warned on recently that efforts to justify "blatant hostility" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Movements on the Ground

There have been little evidence of major military movements in the border areas between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown completion events of many recruits at different defense facilities.

The leader of staff section of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a warning to our enemies".

Previous Origins of the Conflict

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

Following Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire.

However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this arrangement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state.

A extended civil war occurred, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by voters in a vote in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their common border, resulting in war in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors continued at odds.

This changed in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a move that earned the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then allies in the country's recent armed struggle in Tigray.

Yet relations have since broken down again.