DJIBOUTI (Halbeeg News) – Djibouti, together with Eritrea and Somalia, rejected Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s request for direct access to a port on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Abiy has recognised sea access as a strategic goal for landlocked Ethiopia, warning that failure to achieve it might lead to warfare in the future.
He advocated for negotiations with neighbouring nations in a televised speech, suggesting that they may be offered shares in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in exchange for equal holdings in their ports.
The PM also cited Ras Alula Abanega, an Abyssinian warrior from the eighteenth century, who stated that the Red Sea was Ethiopia’s “natural boundary.”
Alexis Mohamed, a senior adviser to Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh said the Ethiopian and Djibouti have always maintained strong, friendly relations,”
“But you should also know that Djibouti is a sovereign country, and therefore, our territorial integrity is not questionable, neither today nor tomorrow,” Guelleh said.
Earlier this week, Eritrea described Abiy’s comments as “excessive” and said, “the affair has perplexed all concerned observers,” while Somalia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Omar said his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were “sacrosanct and not open for discussion.”
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