🔗 Share this article Escalating Verbal Conflict Between Ethiopia and Eritrea Sparks Fears of Conflict Increasing worries have emerged over the possibility of armed conflict involving East African neighbours, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive rhetoric has ratcheted up in the last month. The Ethiopian government and Eritrea cooperated in the internal conflict in Tigray but they have subsequently disagreed. What Has Ethiopian Officials Said? Ethiopia's, being landlocked, calls for entry to the sea coast through Eritrea has provoked a heated rhetorical conflict. PM Abiy Ahmed initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's access to the sea was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea dismissed. Ties between the two countries have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged battle for independence, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, rendering it without sea access. Subsequently, a border war erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives. Recent Remarks from Ethiopian Officials Abiy and army chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula have openly claimed sovereignty of Eritrea's southern port of Assab – approximately 60 kilometers from the boundary - and implied the wish to seize it militarily. On 1 September, the Prime Minister said the country's "mistake" of losing access to the sea as a because of Eritrea's separation would be "corrected in the future". Ethiopia's ambassador to Kenya, ex-military officer Bacha, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be returned "usingæ¦åŠ›". Eritrean Answer to the Claims Amid continuous warnings from Ethiopian officials, Asmara's position has been restricted to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel. The minister has dismissed Ethiopian requests for maritime entry describing it as "risky" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" – a policy of retaking previous domains. Government spokespeople warned on mid-September that efforts to justify "obvious provocation" would have major implications for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "boundary that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Defense Activities on the Region Currently, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the both nations. Nevertheless, in the country, state television has broadcast graduation ceremonies of thousands of cadets at multiple army bases. The leader of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "strong stance" as "numerous of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a warning to our opponents". Historical Background of the Dispute For more than half a century from 1890, Eritrea was ruled by Italian rulers. After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before becoming a associated territory of Ethiopia. However in 1962 the Ethiopian emperor terminated this agreement and the region became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state. A extended internal conflict followed, ending with military reversal in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by voters in a vote in 1993. Temporarily in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Addis Ababa and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their mutual frontier, resulting in conflict in 1998. Although this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the both countries stayed at odds. This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made overtures to Eritrea's leader Isaias Afwerki. The both leaders agreed to a statement that the war was finished – a action that won the Prime Minister the Nobel Peace Prize. The neighboring states were then allies in the country's previous internal conflict in the northern region. But diplomatic connections have subsequently deteriorated once more.