The government of Djibouti says it has yet to hear back from Ethiopian counterparts on its offer to hand over the full administration of Tadjourah Port.

Four months ago, in what was a landmark diplomatic overture, the Djiboutian government offered Ethiopia complete control of management of the strategic port in a bid to defuse tensions between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu.

“We have offered it, but we are still waiting for the response,” Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti’s foreign minister, told The Reporter.

During a press briefing conducted last week at the embassy in Addis Ababa in relation to his candidacy for chairmanship of the African Union Commission, the Foreign Minister touched on the Türkiye-facilitated Ankara Declaration signed between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and Somali President Hassen Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday.

Youssouf praised the countries for reaching a peaceful resolution to the tensions and reiterated his support for Ethiopia’s right to sea access in accordance with international laws.

“The UN convention regarding sea access for landlocked countries is very clear. They should have free, predictable and unhindered access. I believe we should work very hard to ensure that access for these countries is a legitimate right under the framework of international law,” he said.

The Minister also brought up his country’s proposal for an alternative.

“When it comes to sea access, Djibouti is open to partnerships and cooperation with neighbours. There is no problem with that. But, arbitration happening under international maritime law is of paramount importance,” said Youssouf.

When the Minister publicized his country’s proposal in August, he had mentioned that Türkiye has been trying to solve the dispute which ignited when Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with breakaway Somaliland, a deal Somalia saw as an infringement of its sovereignty.

The agreement in Ankara could mean that Djibouti’s offer is now redundant, but Youssouf says he has no qualms about making the gesture.

“When it comes to African problems, we always believe and are always saying that we do not need interference from abroad. We need to resolve them ourselves,” he said. “ But, if we as a region can not manage to help when one or two of our countries have problems, should we just sit and wait? If there is an initiative coming from anywhere to help and assist, we should accept it. That is what is happening in Türkiye. So, we accept that. Because we think that if the two brotherly countries feel that Türkiye will be more successful in mediation, why not?” 

During the briefing, the Minister spoke about the key improvements he would make as AUC chair. He sees peace and security, funding gaps and resource mobilization, infrastructure, and the issuance of a continental passport and currency as the most pressing issues on the AU’s agenda.

Youssouf noted that new conflicts have led to the deadline for the AU’s flagship Silencing the Guns initiative moving forward by a decade to 2030. He said the mobilization of financial resources and funding has become a bottleneck to the AU’s peace and security efforts.

“We have a USD 400 million peace fund. We are always expecting support from partners. The UN resolution passed last month regarding the financing of African peace missions assured us that 75 percent will be coming from the UN. We still need to mobilize the remaining 25 percent,” Youssouf said.

The Minister asserts that the challenge of fostering and mobilizing financial resources is a critical point that the Commission has to tackle so that missions are not hindered for lack of funding.

Issues surrounding peace and stability are also affected by the inoperational AU standby force.

“In cases of humanitarian crises, civil war, terrorism and other such incidents, we must be in a position to deploy the standby force. But, this is not the case on the ground; it is still on paper,” he said.

Youssuf recalled that the ASF had been active in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic 12 years ago and stated that the Commission must find the necessary mechanisms and leverage to reactivate the force. By Nardos Yoseph, The Reporter

Shuyan Wang, also known as Elizabeth Mrembo, has taken Tanzania by storm as a media sensation at the age of 60. The Chinese Tanzanian woman is making waves as a music producer, fashion model, and now, a rising star in the world of music videos and film.

With an impressive following of 1.2 million on Instagram, Elizabeth's mission involves bridging cultural divides and deepening the bond between Tanzanians and Chinese people - celebrating a remarkable 60 years of friendship. CGTN

In a statement on Saturday, the airline announced that government authorities had issued alerts regarding the cyclone’s potential impact adding that the cyclone could persist until Monday.

The number of displaced people in Eastern Africa has doubled over the past four years, rising from 13.2 million in 2020 to 26.5 million in 2024. This increase is largely due to conflict, with the war in Sudan forcing record numbers of people from their homes, as well as extreme weather events such as the 2020-2023 Horn of Africa drought. 

“People who have lost their homes and livelihoods represent a significant portion of those WFP aims to reach across eastern Africa this year. This funding from the US is critical to ensure we can maintain support for these vulnerable displaced people, many of whom rely almost entirely on humanitarian assistance to survive,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa.

The growth in the number of displaced people in recent years has not been matched by a growth in resources, forcing WFP to make difficult decisions about who receives food assistance and how much. None of the displaced people that WFP supports in Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda are receiving a full ration (equivalent to 2,100 kilocalories) due to funding pressures.

The timely contribution from the US will enable WFP to provide cash transfers and in-kind food assistance to over one million displaced people, including refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, internally displaced persons, and some food-insecure host communities. In Rwanda, it will prevent a pipeline break in WFP’s refugee operation, ensuring continuity and stability for the most vulnerable through early 2025.

Burundi: WFP supports over 60,000 refugees and asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash and in-kind at 75 percent of a full food ration. Burundian returnees receive food assistance for 3 months on arrival. WFP supports an average of 4,200 returnees per month.

Djibouti: WFP supports 23,000 refugees and asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash and in-kind at 70 percent of a full food ration.

Kenya: WFP supports 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash and in-kind at 40 percent of a full food ration.

Republic of Congo: WFP supports over 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash at 70 percent of a full food ration.

Rwanda: WFP supports over 120,000 refugees, asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash and in-kind at 75 percent of a full ration for the most vulnerable refugees. People classed as moderately vulnerable receive a 37.5 percent ration and support through livelihood strengthening activities that support a transition to self-reliance.

Tanzania: WFP supports 191,000 refugees and asylum seekers with in-kind food assistance at 82 percent of a full food ration.

Uganda: WFP supports 1.4 million refugees and asylum seekers with food assistance in the form of cash and in-kind at 60 percent of a full ration for the most vulnerable refugees and a 30 percent ration for those classed as moderately vulnerable. New arrivals receive a full ration for the first three months. WFP also supports 52,000 refugees and Ugandan nationals with livelihood strengthening activities that support a transition to self-reliance.  WFP