🔗 Share this article Rising War of Words Between Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Raises Fears of Conflict Increasing worries are present about the chance of warfare involving East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has intensified in the past few weeks. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea were allies in the internal conflict in Tigray but they have later become estranged. What Has Ethiopia Declared? Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a heated war of words. The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his nation's access to the sea was an existential matter, comments that Eritrean authorities ignored. Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it without sea access. In 1998, a border war broke out in which numerous people were killed. Current Remarks from Ethiopian Government Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to seize it militarily. In early September, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of losing entry to the sea as a result of Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon". Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "by force". Eritrean Reaction to the Claims In the face of ongoing threats from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been limited to concise remarks on X from Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel. Officials have denied Ethiopian requests for access to the Red Sea describing it as "risky" and a "negative policy" of "territorial claims" – a policy of reclaiming lost territory. Eritrean authorities alerted on 16 September that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Defense Movements on the Region So far, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the frontier regions between the both nations. Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at multiple army bases. The leader of staff section of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a message to our adversaries". Previous Origins of the Dispute For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers. Following World War II, it was then administered by the British military before evolving into a associated territory of Ethiopia. However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this arrangement and the region became fully incorporated into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long civil war occurred, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a plebiscite in 1993. For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they fell out over the exact location of their mutual frontier, resulting in hostilities in 1998. Though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations stayed at in dispute. This ended in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a declaration that the hostilities was concluded – a decision that won Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize. The two governments were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 internal conflict in Tigray. But relations have subsequently deteriorated again.