🔗 Share this article Escalating War of Words Between Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Triggers Anxieties of Military Confrontation Increasing worries exist about the possibility of armed conflict involving East African neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational language has intensified in the last month. Ethiopia and Eritrea worked together in the armed struggle in Tigray but they have later become estranged. What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated? Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange. PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in the previous year that his government's maritime access was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrean authorities rejected. Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a prolonged struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a long sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access. Subsequently, a territorial conflict started in which more than 100,000 people were killed. Current Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrean southern port of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the intention to take it by force. On 1 September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "rectified tomorrow". The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be restored "through military action". Eritrean Reaction to the Threats In the face of ongoing threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane G.. Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea calling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a approach of retaking lost territory. Eritrean authorities warned on recently that efforts to justify "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Activities on the Border Currently, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations. Nevertheless, in the country, government media has displayed training completions of many recruits at multiple army bases. The head of personnel division of the defense force, the officer, recently said in an interview that the defense forces was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our opponents". Historical Roots of the Conflict For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was governed by Italian colonisers. Following World War II, it was then managed by the British administration before turning into a federated part of the Ethiopian empire. But in 1962 the ruler ended this arrangement and Eritrea became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state. A extended armed struggle occurred, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their common border, resulting in war in 1998. Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at in dispute. This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the war was over – a move that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award. The both administrations were then cooperators in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region. Yet ties have since broken down again.