🔗 Share this article Escalating Verbal Conflict Between Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Sparks Concerns of Military Confrontation Growing worries exist over the chance of military engagement involving Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive language has escalated in the past few weeks. Ethiopia and The Eritrean government worked together in the armed struggle in northern Ethiopia but they have subsequently disagreed. What Has Ethiopian Officials Said? Landlocked Ethiopia's demands for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange. The Ethiopian leader first openly declared in the previous year that his government's access to the sea was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea ignored. Ties between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. After a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a long Red Sea coastline, formally separated from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it landlocked. Subsequently, a territorial conflict broke out in which more than 100,000 people died. Current Statements from Ethiopian Government Prime Minister Abiy and army chief the army commander have openly claimed control of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to seize it militarily. In early September, the Prime Minister said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "rectified in the future". Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "through military action". Eritrea's Response to the Threats Amid ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel. He has rejected Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a approach of claiming back previous domains. Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Defense Preparations on the Ground Currently, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the frontier regions between the neighboring states. Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast training completions of thousands of cadets at various military training camps. The director of personnel division of the defense force, General Hachalu, stated recently in an discussion that the army was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of young people" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our enemies". Previous Origins of the Tension For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers. After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia. However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this system and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state. A extended armed struggle followed, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a vote in 1993. For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the exact location of their mutual frontier, resulting in conflict in 1998. Even though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at loggerheads. This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The two signed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a action that gained Abiy the prestigious award. The both administrations were then allies in the country's recent civil war in the northern region. But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated anew.