Djibouti has launched an unprecedented public rebuttal of Ethiopia's narrative around dependency on Djibouti's strategic ports, releasing proprietary trade data showing a far lower reliance on Ethiopian commerce than widely believed.
The disclosure comes as exchanges of words continue in the ports access row following Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's remarks to parliamentarians about the need to get an access to the sea using diplomatic and legal means.
However, Djibouti is drawing a line, revealing just 37% of port traffic involves Ethiopian imports/exports, compared to 17% for Djibouti.
"This data unequivocally demonstrates that the Djibouti Ports are not only serving Ethiopian traffic, but functions as a pivotal hub across the region extending from Sudan to South Africa," says the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority.
The authority further notes its publicly available tariffs show Djiboutian customers pay tenfold the port dues of Ethiopian customers, "essentially translating that our ports are actually 'subsidizing' Ethiopian activities."
The dramatic move aims to establish Djibouti is not beholden solely to its dominant neighbor as their disputed drags on. But analysts warn the growing spat risks damaging cooperation vital for both nations' development if unresolved.
With billions at stake from East Africa's trade lifelines, observers are closely watching prospects for open dialogue to find a resolution respects each side's economic sovereignty in the strategically important Horn of Africa.
