🔗 Share this article Rising Verbal Conflict Among Ethiopia and Eritrean Government Raises Concerns of Armed Clash Growing concerns have emerged about the potential of warfare between Horn of Africa neighbors, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as confrontational language has escalated in recent weeks. The Ethiopian government and The Eritrean government were allies in the internal conflict in Tigray but they have since fallen out. What Has Ethiopia Said? Landlocked Ethiopia's requests for access to the maritime outlet through Eritrea has sparked a heated war of words. Ethiopian Prime Minister initially stated publicly in last year that his nation's maritime access was an vital issue, statements that Eritrean authorities rejected. Diplomatic connections between the both governments have often been tense. After a prolonged battle for independence, Eritrea, which has a 1,350km (840-mile) maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in the early 1990s, making it cut off from the sea. In 1998, a border war erupted in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives. Current Remarks from Ethiopian Leadership Prime Minister Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have openly claimed control of Eritrea's maritime facility of the port of Assab – some 60 km from the boundary - and suggested the desire to seize it militarily. Recently, Abiy said Ethiopia's "error" of losing entry to the Red Sea as a because of Eritrean independence would be "addressed in the future". Ethiopia's ambassador to neighboring Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that Assab was "belonging to Ethiopia" and would be given back "using武力". Eritrean Answer to the Threats Despite continuous warnings from Ethiopia, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to short statements on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel. He has rejected Ethiopian requests for maritime entry labeling it "dangerous" and a "negative policy" of "expansionism" – a policy of claiming back previous domains. The information ministry cautioned on recently that efforts to validate "obvious provocation" would have serious consequences for the Ethiopian government and its neighbors and is a "limit that should not be crossed|violated|breached". Military Movements on the Border So far, there are no reports of significant troop deployments in the border areas between the two countries. Nevertheless, in the country, government media has broadcast graduation ceremonies of many recruits at multiple army bases. The head of human resources department of the defense force, Lt Gen Hachalu Sheleme, commented lately in an conversation that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were enlisting, which he said was "a message to our enemies". Previous Roots of the Conflict For over fifty years from 1890, the territory was ruled by Italian colonisers. Following the end of Italian rule, it was then administered by the British military before becoming a integrated region of Ethiopia. Yet in 1962 the ruler cancelled this agreement and the region became completely integrated into the Ethiopian state. A three-decade long armed struggle ensued, finishing with the government's loss in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a plebiscite in 1993. For a few years in the 1990s, there were positive ties between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they disagreed over the precise positioning of their shared boundary, causing conflict in 1998. Though this concluded in a truce in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds. This ended in 2018, when the Prime Minister made gestures to Eritrea's leader the president. The both leaders agreed to a announcement that the hostilities was finished – a decision that won Abiy the prestigious award. The two governments were then partners in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in the northern region. However relations have later worsened again.