🔗 Share this article Rising War of Words Between Ethiopian Government and Eritrean Government Sparks Fears of Armed Clash Growing apprehensions exist regarding the possibility of armed conflict between East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as aggressive rhetoric has intensified in the past few weeks. Ethiopia and The Eritrean government worked together in the armed struggle in Tigray but they have subsequently disagreed. What Did Ethiopia Stated? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea has triggered a intense war of words. PM Abiy Ahmed previously announced in 2023 that his country's access to the sea was an existential matter, statements that Eritrean authorities rejected. Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a decades-long struggle for freedom, the Eritrean state, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) sea border, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, leaving it cut off from the sea. Five years later, a border war broke out in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives. Latest Comments from Ethiopia's Officials Prime Minister Abiy and military leader Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrean coastal city of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the border - and suggested the intention to take it by force. Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrean independence would be "rectified soon". The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be returned "usingæ¦åŠ›". Eritrean Response to the Statements In the face of continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been confined to brief comments on X from Information Minister the minister. Officials have denied Ethiopia's demand for sea access calling it "dangerous" and a "toxic agenda" of "territorial claims" – a strategy of reclaiming lost territory. Government spokespeople alerted on mid-September that moves to validate "blatant hostility" would have serious consequences for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Movements on the Region There have been few indications of major military movements in the border areas between the neighboring states. Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, government media has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at multiple army bases. The head of staff section of the armed forces, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, recently said in an discussion that the military was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of recruits" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries". Past Background of the Conflict For more than half a century from 1890, the territory was administered by colonial powers. Following World War II, it was then administered by the British administration before becoming a associated territory of the Ethiopian empire. However in 1962 the ruler ended this system and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia. A thirty-year civil war followed, finishing with Ethiopia's defeat in the early 1990s. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a referendum in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the exact location of their common border, leading to hostilities in 1998. Even though this ended in a peace deal in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the two nations continued at in dispute. This changed in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The both leaders endorsed a announcement that the conflict was concluded – a action that earned the Prime Minister the prestigious award. The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 armed struggle in the northern region. But ties have since broken down anew.