Djibouti, Somaliland in bitter port feud

[Abu-Salman]

It seems that Saudi protectionism is involved and they may have accepted Djiboutian offer only reluctantly.

 

Also equally significant is that the livestock screening centre was built primarily through a Saudi company investment, which owns and manages it.

 

Surely, we can't blame them for looking after their interests according to their preferences, although one has to admit that the centre would have ideally been built in Northern Somalia.

 

At any rate, the amount in question was modest (about 6 $US millions maybe), and it is a pity that Hargeysa authorities didn't built it despite spending around 15-20 millions annually in military expenses, especially given the central importance of livestock export to their economy.

 

What does ruthlessness, greed and other Djiboutian "evil intentions" (whatever that may means) have to do with our endemic plagues mismanagement and corruption?

 

Shouldn't "Somaliland" authorities be pragmatic for once and privatize national assets for instance instead of mobilizing the masses agaisnt fantasmed plots?

[LANDER]

Originally posted by Djib-Somali:

 

What does ruthlessness, greed and other Djiboutian "evil intentions" (whatever that may means) have to do with our endemic plagues mismanagement and corruption?

 

who is 'we' when you say 'our endemic plagues'? Je pensais que t'etais un vrai djiboutien . Bon je vais pratiquer mon francais avec toi, mais il faut que tu corriges mes fautes, daccord? En premier lieu, la Somaliland comme tu le sais, n'a pas encore fixer certaines de ses frontieres alors la securite du pays et le but le plus important du gouvernement. En plus, j'avais bien dit que le gouvernement Djib avait pris une bonne decision du point de vu business, par contre quand meme il faut toujours metre leur decision en contexte vis-a-vis la Somaliland. Omar Guelleh a toujours engage au minage des efforts somalilandais dans l'arene international. Une de ses raison et du au fait que le port de Djib fairait face a une vrai competition contre le port de Berbera. Un etat somalilandais qui a recourt a de nombreuses ressources economiques/internationales comme le fait Djibouti en tant que pays souverain, serait plus en mesures de devenir une viable alternative au port de Djibouti. Finalement, il faut pas parler de la dictature Guelleh comme si elle etait un bon example de la privatization des capitaux nationaux. L'abus de puissance, la corruption et le nepotisme qui existe a Djibouti rendrait meme Mobutu Sese Seko jaloux. C'est vrai que le port est gere par un groupe des Emirates, mais en fin lieu les revenues reviennent toujours a la meme source.

[SomaliThinker]

Trust me when Somaliland has the same accesss to funds IE World Bank and Development of the Ports; the days of Djibouti having control of the sea will be over

[Abu-Salman]

Not bad really for a bilingual, especially a Canadian

 

On a more serious note, I couldn't care less about Guelleh or "democracy" as long as Djiboutians get the leadership they deserve and there is no worthwile alternative.

 

In fact, I think they even don't deserve him, somehow, as he seems more religious and intellectual than the average Djib and has devoted much energy to the Somali despite all the local security and development challenges.

 

As for the cattle export dispute, shouldn't "Somaliland" authorities grab this golden opportunity to lift the embargo with both hands, if they are indeed committed to alleviating their people's plight?

 

All we are used to is pure rethoric and paranoia-mongering against Djibouti, Puntland, "Southerners" and other terrible devils plotting tirelessly, a most futile excercice that can hardly improve the lot of Northern Somalis, deprived of the most basic healthcare and education facilities.

 

Although corruption is an universal disaster, when it affects the only significant source of revenues for a whole downtrodden population like Northern Somalis, it become a crime against humanity.

 

Propaganda aside, there is no way Guelleh wake-up every morning with more "devilish plots against Somalilanders"; with both his wife and close collaborators being from that region, it would have been noticed otherwise .

 

And who is "Somalilander" anyway?

If we assume that different clans are included in this denomination and that they all support secession, then both his parents' clans are "Somalilanders", and as a politician, he would have probably been a hardcore secessionist.

 

The fact that he is not one of them, just like many other Djiboutians, legitimately raises doubts about the presumed support for secession among all the clans concerned.

 

In fact, one of the main reasons some Djiboutians dislike him is that he's judged as being biased towards Hargeysa, if anything.

 

So a little less paranoia and more pragmatism won't hurt Hargeysa authorities, and they should seek to emulate and negociate with the Djib government, as well, for their best interests.

 

Let's just imagine how wonderful it would be for the local economy if Djibouti starts importing its foodstuff from Gabiley instead of Ethiopia, a move which can only strengthen Djiboutian security and independence.

 

Concerning the alleged concurrence, It's obvious that Berbera has a different market than Djibouti, due to geographic and economic considerations, and if anything, it would have to compete now with Dubai Ports international.

 

Ethiopia, with the Djibouti-Addis railway leased to a South African company and huge infrastructures investments in Djibouti, will be even more dependent on us given its booming economy and considerations of reliability as well as efficiency.

 

Hatred propaganda and endless rethoric won't lift us out of misery; cooperation, instead, definitively has this potential, especially with our natural partners and fellow brothers wether it be Garoowe, Muqdisho, Djibouti or Gulf states...

[Abu-Salman]

Bossaso's port seems more competitive than Berbera given that some "Somalilander" Businessmen prefer it for its lower charges and Puntland leadership appear less negative when it comes to its relations with Djibouti (albeit a most repugnant one given its active collaboration with Addis against the Islamic courts).

 

 

Somalia: Puntland And Djibouti Sign a Business Deal

 

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)

 

March 9, 2007

Posted to the web March 9, 2007

 

Aweys Osman Yusuf

Mogadishu

 

The vice president of the Somalia's semiautonomous regional government of Puntland, representing his state has had business deal with Djibouti on Friday.

 

Hassan Dahir Afqura, told the press Friday that Puntland and Djibouti signed a trade deal. "Puntland and Djibouti will have different trade relations as I officially announce before you , the press, today the two states have signed a business deal," he said.

 

 

Afqura pointed out that the livestock exported from Basaso seaport in Puntland would undergo Djibouti's Jabal Ali Company, which controls Djibouti seaport.

 

Although the deal would affect many Somali traders from southern Somalia who were in business relations with Puntland, sources close to Puntland said Djibouti would play a crucial role in checking the health status of the animals exported from Somalia to Emirates.

 

Countries that imported Somalia's livestock banned Somalia's farm animals after they were detected with diseases many times in the past. Countries, which are much interested in Somalia's farm animals, are Saudi Arabia, Emirates and others.

 

Somalia has had no affective central government since 1991 when warlords toppled former president, Siad Barre.

[Abu-Salman]

Who propagated this incongruous rumor of "conflict over business" between Hargeysa and Djibouti, while also encouraging the mutual destruction between Hargeysa and Garowe through exorbitant military expenditure and hatred propaganda (Addis train or arm both militaries)?

 

Why doesn't Addis switch to Berbera if they could, indeed, afford it and by doing so weaken Djibouti's economy, an avowed rival?

 

Last but not least, what reward Hargeysa gained from Addis other than witnessing its territory invaded recently by Ethiopian military under the guise of "acting on the demand of the TFG", the pretext being an imagined ICU retreat to Zeila?

 

 

..................................................................................................

 

 

Ethiopia: A Fight Over Sweet Business

 

 

The Reporter (Addis Ababa)

 

January 13, 2007

Posted to the web January 15, 2007

 

 

After Saudi Arabia last month surprisingly lifted its damaging 2001 ban on the import of livelivestock from the Horn of Africa, a lucrative export trade has been revived. But this has sent Djibouti and non-recognized Somaliland into a new fight over becoming the region's leading export harbor, with Djibouti even expelling Somaliland diplomats.

 

Apart from Djibouti, Somaliland's city of Berbera is the only port on the northern coast of the Horn able to serve land-locked Ethiopia, with its large trade on a regional scale. The small state of Djibouti - which has its greatest revenues from its port facilities - is best connected to the Ethiopian hinterland by road and train, but relations between Djibouti and Addis Ababa are not always at their best.

 

With the December lift of Saudi Arabia's 5-year livestock import ban from the Horn region, trade passing through the ports of Djibouti and Berbera are expected to boom. Before the ban was announced in 2000, livestock was among the main export goods from Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia/Somaliland.

 

As soon as the ban was lifted, Djibouti authorities announced that their diplomacy had played a vital part in achieving this aim. The Saudis and other Arab nations officially had imposed the ban in 2001 after an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever among cattle. But critics claim that the outbreak had never occurred on the Horn. Also the exceptionally long ban indicated that it was rooted in protectionist policies.

 

Several diplomatic efforts to have the ban lifted failed throughout the years, creating a crisis for the regional livestock industry. Livestock constitutes the backbone of the Somaliland economy and is essential to most rural communities in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia, with Saudi Arabia historically being the main market.

 

Djiboutian diplomats claimed they were to be thanked for the lifting of the Saudi ban. Djibouti had launched several proposals to safeguard animal health for exports to Arab nations. Therefore, the nation's foreign ministry said in December, that other countries in the region should reward Djibouti by using its port facilities to export livestock. Djibouti would now become a regional "hub for livestock exports," the Ministry said in a statement.

 

At Djibouti port, the Ministry claimed, quality would be assured due to the August 2004 establishment of a quarantine centre with a veterinary clinic and laboratories. These modern US$ 6 million facilities would assure that another regional livestock disease would be avoided in future. Shortly after these statements, President Ismail Omar Guelleh inaugurated a new port terminal worth US$ 40 million, mainly aimed at serving Ethiopia's trade.

 

Neighboring Somaliland, however, for long has been suspicious on Djiboutian efforts to secure a monopoly situation for its port. Two years ago, Somaliland authorities accused Djibouti of trying to control its economy following a proposal by Djibouti aimed at making its ports a gateway for Somaliland's livestock exports to Arab Gulf countries.

 

Somaliland's Berbera port is seen as the country's greatest potential for economic development, and only last week, port authorities disclosed they had made a purchase of US$ 640,000 worth of dock-loading and stacking equipment used for lifting goods and container freight - one of the first major investments for around 20 years in this port.

 

Answering the Djiboutian initiative to capitalize on the lifting of the Saudi ban, Somaliland authorities in December banned the sending of home-grown cattle to Djibouti for re-exportation. Somaliland livestock heading towards Saudi Arabia was to be shipped out from Berbera, authorities ordered.

 

With its modest investments in the Berbera port, Somaliland also hopes to gain a part of the Ethiopian livestock export market. Ethiopia is not uninterested, as it currently has better ties with Hargeisa than with Djibouti, following the latter's low-profiled support for the defeated Somali Islamists.

 

Underlining the seriousness in the harbor fight between the two neighbors, Djibouti immediately expelled Somaliland diplomats in what has been described as a tit-for-tat reaction. No country, not even Djibouti, officially recognizes Somaliland, which nevertheless has diplomatic stations in most countries of the region.

 

Indeed, without securing transit revenues from other livestock exporters, Djibouti is to gain little from the Saudi ban-lifting. The Djiboutian livestock industry is in a deep crisis after years of drought. According to the US agency Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS), the 'Heys/Dada' rains - which are essential for the viability of coastal dry season grazing areas - performed poorly also in November 2006.

 

"These rains serve a vital function in the migration cycle of pastoralists," the latest FEWS report on Djibouti warned, noting that pastoralists were facing a crisis. "Successful recovery for pastoralist communities requires prevention of distress livestock sales and continued restocking over several consecutive seasons," the US agency added.

 

Also in Somaliland and Ethiopia, the last few years have not been the best for pastoralists, but in large parts of these two countries, relatively sound stocks of livestock are still present, ready for exportation to the Saudi market.

 

Exports of Somaliland livestock has started already. In late December, the first consignment of over 400,000 livestock heads were supposed to be exported to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to coincide with the Hajj, whose rituals require that every pilgrim kill one sheep as a sacrifice. Reportedly, almost a quarter of these sheep had, however, been smuggled to Djibouti for re-export to Jeddah. Berbera port authorities have yet to report how many went through their facilities.

 

Also Djibouti port authorities rapidly reported cattle export successes after the ban was lifted. Only four days after the lifting, over 10,000 livestock heads - of unclear origin - were shipped to Saudi Arabia. The port has been made ready to receive "thousands of animals on a daily basis originating from bordering countries," Djibouti port authorities state optimistically.

[SomaliThinker]

The funny thing is the stanard of living between Djubuti and Somaliland is the same expect for the case that one is recongized and the other is not, it shows the wealth of the Port for Djubuti is not going down to its people.