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Increasing concerns are present over the possibility of armed conflict among East African neighbors, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as confrontational language has ratcheted up in the past few weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Declared?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, requests for passage to the Red Sea through Eritrea has sparked a heated verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, comments that Eritrea rejected.

Ties between the both governments have often been tense. Following a long-standing battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, making it landlocked.

In 1998, a military clash broke out in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Current Remarks from Ethiopian Officials

Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have directly stated sovereignty of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and hinted at the desire to take it by force.

Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "addressed in the future".

Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be restored "using武力".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's response has been restricted to short statements on X from Communications Head Yemane G..

Officials have denied Ethiopia's push for sea access calling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "territorial claims" – a policy of claiming back former lands.

Government spokespeople warned on recently that moves to validate "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Military Activities on the Region

Currently, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the neighboring states.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, national TV has shown graduation ceremonies of numerous trainees at multiple army bases.

The head of staff section of the armed forces, the officer, stated recently in an discussion that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our enemies".

Historical Background of the Tension

For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was governed by Italian rulers.

Following World War II, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.

Yet in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie I ended this agreement and the region became fully incorporated into Ethiopia.

A thirty-year internal conflict occurred, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a vote in 1993.

Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their mutual frontier, resulting in hostilities in 1998.

Even though this ended in a truce in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders endorsed a declaration that the conflict was finished – a action that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize.

The two governments were then cooperators in the country's recent internal conflict in Tigray.

But relations have subsequently deteriorated anew.