🔗 Share this article Intensifying Verbal Conflict Involving Ethiopian Government and Eritrean Government Triggers Fears of Armed Clash Increasing concerns have emerged regarding the chance of warfare between Horn of Africa neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has escalated in the last month. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea cooperated in the armed struggle in Tigray but they have later become estranged. What Has Ethiopian Officials Said? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has provoked a fierce rhetorical conflict. The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in the previous year that his country's access to the sea was an vital issue, remarks that Eritrea dismissed. Diplomatic connections between the two countries have often been tense. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a extensive maritime frontage, legally broke away from Ethiopian rule in 1993, leaving it without sea access. Five years later, a military clash erupted in which over a hundred thousand people died. Recent Statements from Ethiopian Officials Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean coastal city of Assab – some 60 km from the frontier - and implied the intention to seize it militarily. On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "blunder" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future". The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "through military action". Eritrea's Answer to the Threats Amid continuous threats from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane G.. The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for sea access labeling it "risky" and a "harmful plan" of "expansionism" – a policy of retaking lost territory. The information ministry warned on recently that attempts to justify "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Defense Preparations on the Border So far, there are little evidence of major military movements in the frontier regions between the two countries. Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has broadcast training completions of many recruits at different defense facilities. The head of human resources department of the military, the officer, recently said in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "numerous of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries". Historical Origins of the Conflict For more than half a century from the late 19th century, Eritrea was ruled by Italian colonisers. Following World War II, it was then managed by the UK forces before evolving into a integrated region of Ethiopia. But in 1962 the ruler terminated this arrangement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long civil war ensued, ending with Ethiopia's defeat in 1991. Independence was then confirmed by Eritreans in a plebiscite in 1993. For a few years in the 1990s, there were good relations between the governments in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the specific demarcation of their mutual frontier, causing war in 1998. Even though this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds. This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made gestures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders signed a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a move that won Abiy the international recognition. The two governments were then cooperators in the country's 2020-2022 civil war in the northern region. Yet ties have later worsened anew.