🔗 Share this article

Increasing concerns have emerged regarding the possibility of warfare between East African countries, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as confrontational discourse has ratcheted up in recent weeks.

What Has Ethiopia Stated?

Ethiopia's, being landlocked, demands for entry to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory has sparked a fierce verbal exchange.

The Ethiopian leader initially stated publicly in 2023 that his government's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrea rejected.

Relations between the both governments have often been tense. After a long-standing fight for sovereignty, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) Red Sea coastline, officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving it cut off from the sea.

Subsequently, a military clash started in which numerous people died.

Latest Statements from Ethiopian Government

Abiy and military leader the army commander have publicly asserted ownership of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab – about 60km from the border - and hinted at the intention to take it by force.

On 1 September, Abiy said the country's "mistake" of losing entry to the sea as a due to Eritrea's separation would be "corrected soon".

The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, former General Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopian property" and would be given back "by force".

Eritrea's Reaction to the Statements

Amid persistent warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been restricted to concise remarks on online platforms from Information Minister the minister.

He has rejected Ethiopia's push for sea access calling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" – a approach of retaking former lands.

Government spokespeople cautioned on recently that attempts to legitimise "flagrant aggression" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its regional partners and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached".

Security Preparations on the Ground

There have been little evidence of large-scale army activities in the border areas between the both nations.

Nonetheless, in Ethiopia, state television has broadcast training completions of numerous trainees at various military training camps.

The leader of personnel division of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, stated recently in an conversation that the military was in a "secure situation" as "numerous of recruits" were enlisting, which he said was "a signal to our adversaries".

Historical Roots of the Dispute

For over fifty years from 1890, Eritrea was administered by colonial powers.

After Italy's defeat, it was then managed by the British administration before evolving into a integrated region of the Ethiopian empire.

However in 1962 the ruler cancelled this system and Eritrea became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.

A thirty-year civil war ensued, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then confirmed by Eritreans in a referendum in 1993.

Briefly in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the governments in Addis Ababa and Eritrea's capital, but they clashed over the specific demarcation of their shared boundary, resulting in war in 1998.

Although this finished in a ceasefire agreement in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the neighbors stayed at in dispute.

This situation improved in 2018, when Abiy made approaches to Eritrea's leader President Isaias. The both leaders signed a statement that the conflict was finished – a action that won Abiy the international recognition.

The neighboring states were then allies in Ethiopia's recent civil war in the northern region.

However relations have since broken down again.