🔗 Share this article

Mounting concerns have emerged over the possibility of armed conflict involving East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has escalated in recent weeks.

What Did Ethiopian Officials Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrean territory has triggered a fierce war of words.

PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrean authorities dismissed.

Relations between the both governments have regularly been difficult. After a prolonged fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, leaving it without sea access.

In 1998, a territorial conflict started in which more than 100,000 people died.

Latest Comments from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the border - and suggested the desire to capture it through military means.

On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "mistake" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected tomorrow".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "by force".

Eritrea's Answer to the Claims

Amid ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G..

The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "hazardous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back lost territory.

Government spokespeople alerted on recently that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Defense Preparations on the Border

So far, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has shown completion events of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The leader of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "tens of thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our opponents".

Historical Origins of the Dispute

For decades from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian colonisers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire.

Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor ended this agreement and the region became completely integrated into Ethiopia.

A three-decade long armed struggle occurred, concluding with military reversal in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by the population in a referendum in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were good relations between the authorities in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to war in 1998.

Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries continued at odds.

This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the conflict was finished – a move that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neighboring states were then partners in Ethiopia's recent internal conflict in the northern region.

Yet relations have later worsened anew.