Djibouti has announced it will not grant Ethiopia complete control over the Port of Tadjoura, offering instead a joint management agreement to secure trade relations between the two nations. This decision reverses earlier plans to transfer complete oversight to Ethiopia.
Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf clarified that while Ethiopia will not be given 100% control of the port. "We never said we sold or handed over the port. What we're proposing is joint management of Tadjoura to maintain Ethiopia's trade flow," Youssouf said in a statement.
Youssouf explained that the government is looking to turn the port into a commercial hub to prevent Ethiopia from shifting its trade routes to neighbouring ports in Somaliland and Eritrea.
With the Port of Assab in Eritrea expected to reopen soon, some Ethiopian cargo may be redirected there, while trade with Somaliland could also expand. "We want to make sure Djibouti retains a significant share of Ethiopia's business," Youssouf emphasized.
A large cargo ship loaded with colorful shipping containers docks at a bustling Tadjoura port.
