Addis Ababa did not appreciate Qatar's mediation in the conflict between Djibouti and Eritrea.
Qatar's intervention in the border conflict between Djibouti and Eritrea was not to the liking of the Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Seyoum Mesfin, who is believed to have asked the Djibouti Ambassador in Addis Ababa for an explanation. Ethiopia considers that Qatar's diplomatic initiatives in the region are pushed by Egypt, which is in dispute with Addis Ababa about the sharing of water from the Nile.
Furthermore, this neutralisation of the border between Eritrea and Djibouti comes at a bad time, just when the Ethiopian government wants to help the Eritrean opposition oust President Issayas Afeworki. But Djibouti and Eritrea have different interests in this affair, which have converged in this "armistice". President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti wants to pacify the situation in the northern part of his country ahead of the presidential election in 2011. Afeworki, for his part, is pleased to secure his country's border with Djibouti at a time when the conflict with Ethiopia is resurfacing.
Source: The Indian Ocean Newsletter
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (2)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Write comment
