Djibouti includes 5 ports considered the most developed in East Africa (Al Jazeera)

Djibouti -

In a far corner of a seafood restaurant in the capital, Djibouti, four Japanese sailors sat staring at their mobile phones.

In the middle of the restaurant, two French women were eating a snack, while other tables were occupied by patrons of different nationalities, most of whom belonged to the military bases stationed in the small city.

In the midst of this mixture, Ahmed Abdi, who works as a waiter in the restaurant, was moving from one table to another and from one language to another, to meet the requests of customers.

What draws people to him is the large Palestinian keffiyeh hanging on his shoulder.

When asked about wearing it, he apologized for speaking, but pointed at us with his index and middle fingers in a symbolic expression of the victory sign for Palestine.

Ahmed is no exception to the Djiboutians who expressed, through various means, their solidarity and support for the Palestinians, while Djibouti - at the official level - recorded several positions in support of Palestine that were considered the strongest at the level of Africa.

Ships waiting for their turn to enter Djibouti ports (Al Jazeera)

"Right relief"

Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssef said that his country did not condemn the Houthi attacks because it considered them "rightful relief" for the Palestinians, indicating its reservations about participating in the so-called "Prosperity Guardian" operation.

Prime Minister Abdul Qadir Kamel also revealed that his country rejected an American request to install a missile platform to target the Houthis in Yemen.

Djibouti announced its full support for the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

But at the same time, Djibouti has expressed - more than once - its fears and concerns that the tension in the Red Sea will have negative effects on the work of its ports, which are considered the largest engine of the country's economy.

Djibouti began to pay attention to its ports since May 1998, when former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi decided to direct all of his country's goods to the port of Djibouti instead of the Eritrean port of Assab, against the backdrop of the war between the two countries at the time.

At the time, Djibouti, which is the size of the US state of New Jersey, had one paved road that could not handle large truckloads, while its old port was the only outlet for exports and imports.

Over the past three decades, Djibouti has invested heavily in developing its port infrastructure, and today it hosts five ports that are considered the most advanced in Africa, in addition to highways and an electric train network linking it to its neighbor, Ethiopia.

Head of the Ports Authority, Abu Bakr Omar Hadi: Djibouti ports have taken new measures to help their users (Al Jazeera)

Anxiety and fears

In an office overlooking the old port of Djibouti, the head of the Ports and Free Zones Authority, Abu Bakr Omar Hadi, was busy talking with a representative of foreign shipping companies, before he turned to greet us and asked for an additional few minutes before the meeting took place.

Hadi recently moved to his new office, especially since the country's waterfronts have become crowded with hotels, tourist facilities, corporate headquarters and non-governmental organizations, in addition to a number of military bases hidden behind a maze of concrete barriers and barbed wire.

“So far we are fine, but if the tension continues, the activities of Djibouti’s ports will be affected in the long term, especially transshipment and transshipment.” With these words, Hadi expressed, in his speech to Al Jazeera Net, his concern about the negative repercussions of the tension in the Red Sea on his country.

In addition to serving its landlocked neighboring countries, Djibouti has over the past years strengthened its presence as intermediate ports for transshipment from the heart of Africa to the wider world and vice versa, taking advantage of its location a stone's throw from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, which has contributed to the prosperity of shipping operations. Transit through its ports, which is considered a vital link in the logistical chain of maritime navigation.

The head of the Ports Authority confirms that there is a need to convince major shipping companies, not linked to Israel, that their crossing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait will be safe.

"They must be convinced of how to implement this and adhere to it, especially since they bear the responsibility of carrying and delivering the goods, and they will not risk doing so," he said.

He also explained that in light of the prevailing tension in the Red Sea, Djibouti ports have taken new measures to help their users and supply chains, the most prominent of which is ensuring direct berthing upon arrival for transit freight, and unloading ship cargo to a minimum.

A boat from the Djiboutian Navy to secure the country's ports (Al Jazeera)

Active area

At the beginning of each week, the free trade zone in Djibouti is crowded with many representatives of local and foreign customs clearance companies. Everyone takes advantage of the mild weather in the country to complete their work before the month of May enters, when the temperature exceeds 100 degrees.

Abadir Ahmed, one of them.

He specialized in working with ships coming from China and Europe.

He says that the shipping companies "Maersk" and "MSC" informed them to stop their flights through the Red Sea until further notice. Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, he expressed his fears about the effects of this matter on the flexibility of supply chains and the high costs for the final consumer.

However, the man seemed optimistic that the crisis would end soon, especially since maritime navigation routes from the continent of Asia - where China and India are located - are still safe and open to trade, according to his estimate.

Ahmed explained that during the Corona crisis, customs clearance companies faced the same crisis, but Djibouti ports took multiple measures at the time to ensure the continuity of the smooth flow of goods, and reduce the waiting period for ships and loading and unloading operations.

Through its port-dependent economy, Djibouti seeks to achieve what it calls “Vision 2035,” an ambitious strategy that seeks to achieve economic diversification and promote integrated development in a country suffering from scarcity of natural resources.

The government also hopes to become the first country in Africa to rely on renewable energy, by harnessing the strong “50 winds” that blow in Djibouti from June to August, to operate a wind farm with a capacity of 60 megawatts, as well as taking advantage of the sun. Harsh climates, which hit hard throughout the year, are used to power solar energy projects.

Source: Al Jazeera