🔗 Share this article Intensifying Verbal Conflict Among Ethiopian Government and Eritrean Government Raises Fears of Armed Clash Mounting worries exist regarding the possibility of military engagement involving Horn of Africa countries, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive language has ratcheted up in the last month. Ethiopia and Eritrea cooperated in the internal conflict in northern Ethiopia but they have later become estranged. What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has triggered a heated rhetorical conflict. The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's maritime access was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrean authorities ignored. Relations between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access. Subsequently, a border war started in which numerous people lost their lives. Recent Remarks from Ethiopia's Officials Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed ownership of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and suggested the wish to seize it militarily. In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified tomorrow". Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "usingæ¦åŠ›". Eritrean Answer to the Claims Despite continuous challenges from Ethiopia, Eritrea's response has been confined to short statements on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel. Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access describing it as "risky" and a "toxic agenda" of "expansionism" – a policy of reclaiming lost territory. The information ministry alerted on 16 September that moves to justify "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Defense Movements on the Border There have been no reports of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the two countries. Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has displayed training completions of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases. The head of personnel division of the military, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the army was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries". Historical Background of the Conflict For over fifty years from the late 19th century, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers. Following World War II, it was then controlled by the British administration before evolving into a federated part of Ethiopia. However in the early 1960s the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, concluding with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a referendum in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, resulting in war in 1998. Even though this ended in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors stayed at odds. This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President the president. The both leaders endorsed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition. The neighboring states were then allies in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region. Yet ties have subsequently deteriorated anew.