The Djiboutian government changed its decision, of offering Ethiopia full control over a port.
This move was intended to defuse tensions in the Horn of Africa, specifically the ongoing standoff between Somalia and Ethiopia over access to Sea.
Djibouti claims Ethiopia will be given partial management of the port of Tadjourah, to strenght trade ties with Ethiopia. An earlier offer for complete operational oversight had been made to Ethiopia.
The minister of foreign affairs of Djibouti, Mohamed Ali Youssouf, had made suggestions that Ethiopia should be granted full control and access to the port of Tadjourah as a calculated move to reduce regional tensions.
“We never claimed to have given the port away or sold it. In order to preserve Ethiopia’s trade flow, we’re suggesting partial management of Tadjoura,” Youssouf stated in a statement, maintaining Ethiopia’s exclusive control.
Djibouti’s $60 million Tadjoura Port is having trouble paying its operational expenses, especially labor wages.
According to Ethiopian media, Youssouf clarified that the government wants to develop the port into a commercial center in order to stop Ethiopia from moving its trade routes to nearby ports in Somaliland and Eritrea.
Ethiopia has long made use of Djibouti’s ports. Due to Sudan’s and Lamu’s three-country locations, with long distance and operating costs are absurd.
This served as the basis for the most recent Red Sea access deal with the breakaway region ofSomaliland, Somalia highly opposed by Somalia.
Youssouf underlined, “We want to ensure that Djibouti retains a sizable portion of Ethiopia’s business.
Youssouf clarified, however, that Ethiopia would not be given a naval base, even though Djibouti is still focused on trade and economic cooperation.
Djibouti intends to keep Ethiopia as its main seaport by granting Ethiopia access to the Port of Tadjoura.
The agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia has been rejected by Somalia, which claims it violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity. If this MoU is finalized, Ethiopia would receive 20 kilometers of the Red Sea for the development of a port and military base
The most recent tensions were necessary because Ethiopia promised to fully recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state in exchange. This move has further infuriated Somalia. Ethiopia and Somalia have held rounds of talks in Turkiye, but no agreement has been reached.