🔗 Share this article Escalating War of Words Involving Ethiopian Government and Eritrea Raises Concerns of Conflict Mounting apprehensions have emerged about the possibility of military engagement among Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and Eritrea, as hostile discourse has escalated in the past few weeks. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea worked together in the internal conflict in northern Ethiopia but they have since fallen out. What Has Ethiopia Stated? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has sparked a fierce war of words. PM Abiy Ahmed first openly declared in last year that his government's maritime access was an crucial concern, statements that Eritrea rejected. Ties between the neighboring nations have often been tense. Following a decades-long fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive sea border, legally broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it without sea access. Subsequently, a border war started in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives. Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have directly stated control of Eritrea's coastal city of Assab – about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the desire to take it by force. Recently, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "error" of being denied passage to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected tomorrow". The Ethiopian envoy to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "by force". Eritrean Reaction to the Threats Amid continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been confined to brief comments on online platforms from Information Minister Yemane G.. The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for maritime entry labeling it "hazardous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a approach of reclaiming former lands. Eritrean authorities alerted on recently that efforts to legitimise "obvious provocation" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Security Activities on the Ground Currently, there are little evidence of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries. However, in the country, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of many recruits at different defense facilities. The leader of human resources department of the armed forces, General Hachalu, recently said in an discussion that the army was in a "reliable position" as "tens of thousands of young people" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our adversaries". Previous Background of the Dispute For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers. After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire. However in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I terminated this arrangement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long internal conflict followed, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, causing war in 1998. Although this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was partially applied, and the neighbors stayed at odds. This changed in 2018, when Abiy made overtures to Eritrean President President Isaias. The two signed a statement that the conflict was over – a move that gained Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize. The both administrations were then partners in the country's recent armed struggle in the northern region. However ties have subsequently deteriorated again.