Date: Friday, 17 August 2018
Somalis and Djiboutians were eager to pick up the pieces. In particular, President Farmajo had to be forgiven for supporting the Eritrean enemy. " Unlike tradition, he did not even go to Djibouti after his election, " said Sonia Le Gouriellec, specialist of the Horn of Africa.
To add weight to the balance, Djibouti also reminded his neighbor of the deployment of soldiers on his territory to help Somalis fight terrorism. But Djibouti could not aggravate his isolation either. Indeed, the small coastal state is in a complex situation. Peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia threatens its economic prosperity and the use of its port infrastructure.
Meanwhile, relations between Somalia and Eritrea continue to heat up. For example, the Eritrean Minister of Foreign Affairs has just spent three days in Mogadishu. " Djibouti is lagging behind on all issues, " says Sonia Le Gouriellec who points to another threat: that of the UAE.
Djibouti is experiencing a violent standoff with Dubai, especially since the country expelled the UAE company DP World from its port of Doraleh.