🔗 Share this article Intensifying Rhetorical Battle Between Ethiopia and Eritrean Government Sparks Fears of Conflict Mounting worries have emerged over the potential of armed conflict among East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has ratcheted up in recent weeks. Ethiopia and Eritrea cooperated in the internal conflict in Tigray but they have subsequently disagreed. What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared? Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a fierce verbal exchange. The Ethiopian leader previously announced in 2023 that his government's access to the sea was an existential matter, statements that Eritrean authorities ignored. Ties between the both governments have frequently been strained. After a long-standing battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a long Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, rendering it landlocked. In 1998, a territorial conflict started in which numerous people lost their lives. Current Remarks from Ethiopian Government Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the wish to capture it through military means. Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon". Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "through military action". Eritrea's Reaction to the Claims In the face of ongoing challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been confined to short statements on online platforms from Communications Head Yemane G.. Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access labeling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" – a strategy of claiming back lost territory. Government spokespeople warned on recently that attempts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Security Preparations on the Region There have been no reports of major military movements in the frontier regions between the two countries. However, in Ethiopia, national TV has broadcast completion events of many recruits at different defense facilities. The leader of human resources department of the armed forces, General Hachalu, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "many thousands of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our enemies". Historical Origins of the Tension For more than half a century from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by colonial powers. After the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the British administration before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia. Yet in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this system and Eritrea became completely integrated into Ethiopia. A extended armed struggle followed, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then endorsed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, resulting in war in 1998. Though this finished in a peace deal in 2000, it was partially applied, and the two nations stayed at in dispute. This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders agreed to a declaration that the conflict was concluded – a action that gained the Prime Minister the prestigious award. The both administrations were then partners in the country's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray. Yet diplomatic connections have since broken down once more.