Eritrea and Ethiopia have had fraught relations since the former declared independence in 1993, with tens of thousands of people killed in a war between the two from 1998 to 2000.

At the heart of the current tension, according to the Eritrean government, is Ethiopia's long-held desire for a seaport, which is landlocked.

Afwerki, who has ruled Eritrea with an iron fist since independence, warned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that he would not be able to overwhelm his country by weight of numbers -- Ethiopia's population is 130 million, compared to just 3.5 million people living in Eritrea.

"If he thinks he can overwhelm (Eritrean forces) with a human wave attack, he is mistaken," Afwerki told state television channel Eri-TV.

"Before dragging the people of Ethiopia into unwanted wars or using them for another political agenda, the country's internal problems must first be addressed and solved," he said.

He called Abiy's actions a "reckless" attempt to "divert attention" from domestic problems.

Abiy signed a peace deal with Afwerki shortly after coming to power in 2018, but a violent conflict erupted in Ethiopia's Tigray province from 2020 to 2022 as Eritrea's forces backed rebels there fighting Ethiopian troops.

At least 600,000 people were killed in the conflict, according to an African Union estimate.

Although a peace deal ended the fighting, Eritrea has maintained a military presence in Tigray, and relations between the neighbours have deteriorated.

Abiy has repeatedly said Ethiopia must have access to the sea, but by peaceful means.

Last month, a report by a US monitoring group accused Eritrea of rebuilding its army and destabilising its neighbours.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Ghebremeskel criticised the report by NGO The Sentry and blamed "the new tension in the region" on Ethiopia.

Eritrea had been under US arms sanctions that were lifted after the 2018 peace deal.

Eritrea is a single-party state which consistently ranks among the worst in the world for rights -- in last place for press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders, and 175th out of 183 for human development in 2022, according to the United Nations.