Ethiopia And Djibouti Agree To Work On Border Security, Peacekeeping

 Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed to work jointly on border security and peacekeeping. The Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) announced that the authorities of Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed to work jointly on security, training provisions, and peacekeeping.

The 9th Ethiopia-Djibouti Defence Chiefs of Staff meeting was held here at ENDF Headquarters. The authorities were present in the meeting to discuss the defence forces. The main aim of the meeting was to establish regional peace and security at the border.

Chief of Staff of Ethiopian National Defence Force, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, and Djibouti Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, Zakaria Cheikh Ibrahim, agreed to boost cooperation between the defence forces of the two countries.

As per media reports, both countries have signed an accord on joint border patrols, information and cultural exchanges, training, counter-terrorism, and peacekeeping operations. Birhanu said that Ethiopia and Djibouti have historical and long-standing relations with each other. Birhanu further said that Ethiopia and Djibouti are the seats of various international and continental organisations.

After the meeting, Ibrahim recalled that the two countries had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to prevent various crimes in the border areas earlier.

Diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Djibouti 

Diplomatic relations between the two countries was established in 1984. Ethiopia and Djibouti have traditionally maintained a close political and economic relationship in recent years. 

Reportedly, when the Ethiopia-Eritrea border war broke out in 1998, Ethiopia lost access to Eritrea’s port. Subsequently, an existential crisis erupted in the country. Since then, Ethiopia has relied on Djiboutian ports to process its imports and exports. Djibouti also relies on Ethiopia to import fresh water and electricity. 

The two Horn of Africa countries are dependent on each other economically. Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Djibouti controls access to a major waterway, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.