🔗 Share this article Escalating War of Words Involving Ethiopia and Eritrea Triggers Fears of Armed Clash Growing concerns exist about the possibility of military engagement among East African neighbors, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as aggressive discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea cooperated in the armed struggle in northern Ethiopia but they have later become estranged. What Has Ethiopian Officials Declared? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a fierce war of words. The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, comments that Eritrean authorities rejected. Ties between the both governments have often been tense. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it landlocked. Five years later, a border war started in which numerous people lost their lives. Latest Remarks from Ethiopia's Leadership Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated ownership of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and hinted at the wish to take it by force. Recently, the Prime Minister said the country's "blunder" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "rectified tomorrow". The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "through military action". Eritrean Answer to the Statements Amid ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G.. He has rejected Ethiopian requests for sea access calling it "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a approach of retaking lost territory. The information ministry warned on recently that moves to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Activities on the Region So far, there are little evidence of major military movements in the boundary zones between the both nations. However, in Ethiopia, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases. The leader of human resources department of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an interview that the military was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a message to our adversaries". Previous Origins of the Tension For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers. Following the end of Italian rule, it was then controlled by the UK forces before evolving into a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire. Yet in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor cancelled this agreement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia. A thirty-year internal conflict followed, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a vote in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing hostilities in 1998. Although this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors continued at odds. This ended in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The two signed a declaration that the war was concluded – a move that won the Prime Minister the international recognition. The both administrations were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in Tigray. Yet relations have later worsened anew.