Intensifying War of Words Involving Ethiopian Government and Eritrean Government Raises Anxieties of Military Confrontation
Mounting concerns have emerged about the possibility of military engagement among East African countries, the Ethiopian government and the Eritrean government, as aggressive discourse has intensified in the past few weeks.
What Did Ethiopian Officials Said?
Landlocked Ethiopia's calls for passage to the sea coast through Eritrea has sparked a intense rhetorical conflict.
Ethiopian Prime Minister first openly declared in last year that his country's sea access was an crucial concern, remarks that Eritrea ignored.
Diplomatic connections between the neighboring nations have frequently been strained. Following a prolonged fight for sovereignty, the Eritrean state, which has a extensive maritime frontage, officially seceded from Ethiopian rule in 1993, rendering it without sea access.
Subsequently, a border war erupted in which over a hundred thousand people lost their lives.
Recent Comments from Ethiopia's Officials
Abiy and military leader General Birhanu Jula have publicly asserted control of Eritrean maritime facility of the port of Assab β about 60km from the frontier - and hinted at the intention to take it by force.
In early September, the Prime Minister said Ethiopia's "mistake" of losing access to the Red Sea as a due to Eritrea secession would be "corrected in the future".
The Ethiopian envoy to Kenya, retired Gen Bacha Debele, said that the port was "Ethiopia's wealth" and would be given back "usingζ¦ε".
Eritrean Response to the Threats
Despite ongoing warnings from Ethiopian officials, Eritrea's reaction has been limited to brief comments on social media from Communications Head Yemane Gebremeskel.
The minister has dismissed Ethiopia's push for maritime entry calling it "hazardous" and a "negative policy" of "irredentism" β a policy of retaking lost territory.
The information ministry cautioned on mid-September that efforts to validate "blatant hostility" would have significant repercussions for Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries and is a "redline that should not be crossed|violated|breached".
Military Movements on the Border
So far, there are no reports of large-scale army activities in the boundary zones between the two countries.
However, in the country, national TV has displayed training completions of numerous trainees at different defense facilities.
The director of staff section of the military, the officer, stated recently in an interview that the defense forces was in a "reliable position" as "many thousands of youths" were joining it, which he said was "a warning to our opponents".
Previous Roots of the Conflict
For decades from the late 19th century, the territory was governed by Italian colonisers.
Following Italy's defeat, it was then administered by the British administration before turning into a associated territory of Ethiopia.
But in the early 1960s Emperor Haile Selassie I cancelled this system and Eritrea became totally absorbed into the Ethiopian state.
A thirty-year civil war ensued, concluding with military reversal in 1991. Autonomy was then approved by the population in a vote in 1993.
Temporarily in the 1990s, there were friendly connections between the leadership in Ethiopia's capital and Asmara, but they clashed over the exact location of their shared boundary, resulting in war in 1998.
Although this concluded in a peace deal in 2000, it was never fully implemented, and the two nations remained at odds.
This situation improved in 2018, when the Prime Minister made approaches to Eritrean President the president. The two signed a announcement that the hostilities was concluded β a move that won Abiy the international recognition.
The both administrations were then cooperators in Ethiopia's previous internal conflict in the northern region.
Yet relations have since broken down again.