🔗 Share this article Intensifying War of Words Among Ethiopian Government and Eritrean Government Raises Anxieties of Conflict Mounting apprehensions are present regarding the possibility of warfare between East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as hostile rhetoric has intensified in the last month. Ethiopia and Eritrea were allies in the civil war in northern Ethiopia but they have subsequently disagreed. What Did Ethiopian Officials Stated? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for access to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a fierce war of words. Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his country's access to the sea was an existential matter, remarks that Eritrea dismissed. Relations between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a long-standing struggle for freedom, Eritrea, which has a long sea border, formally separated from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it landlocked. Subsequently, a border war broke out in which numerous people were killed. Current Comments from Ethiopia's Officials Abiy and army chief General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the boundary - and implied the intention to seize it militarily. In early September, Abiy said the country's "error" of being denied passage to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "addressed soon". Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be restored "by force". Eritrean Response to the Threats In the face of continuous challenges from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to concise remarks on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel. He has rejected Ethiopia's push for access to the Red Sea describing it as "dangerous" and a "harmful plan" of "irredentism" – a approach of reclaiming lost territory. Eritrean authorities cautioned on 16 September that attempts to validate "flagrant aggression" would have major implications for the Ethiopian government and its neighbouring countries and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Preparations on the Ground There have been few indications of significant troop deployments in the boundary zones between the both nations. Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, government media has shown graduation ceremonies of many recruits at various military training camps. The leader of staff section of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of young people" were entering service, which he said was "a signal to our opponents". Historical Origins of the Tension For over fifty years from the late 19th century, the territory was ruled by colonial powers. After Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British military before turning into a federated part of Ethiopia. But in the early 1960s the ruler ended this arrangement and Eritrea became fully incorporated into Ethiopia. A three-decade long civil war occurred, concluding with the government's loss in 1991. Independence was then approved by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993. Briefly in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the authorities in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the precise positioning of their common border, leading to conflict in 1998. Even though this concluded in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was incompletely executed, and the neighbors stayed at in dispute. This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The two endorsed a announcement that the hostilities was over – a move that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize. The two governments were then allies in Ethiopia's 2020-2022 internal conflict in the northern region. However ties have subsequently deteriorated anew.