Djibouti wants to keep Bab el-Mandeb open and secure
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nation
Djiboutian Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed says his country wants to keep the Bab el-Mandeb Strait an open and secure international shipping route. In an interview published by Le Point on 30 October 2026, he links this position to Djibouti’s strategic and humanitarian responsibilities in the face of the conflict in Yemen.
Djibouti wants to preserve the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as an open and secure international shipping route, Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed said in an interview published by Le Point on 30 October 2026. “We will never accept this strait being seized or monetised,” he said.
The Djiboutian head of government said his country intended to defend the free movement of ships without aligning itself with rivalries between regional and international powers. He also cited the Djiboutian coastguard and navy, deployed along the country’s maritime borders, as well as the defence agreement with France, renewed in 2024 for 20 years.
Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed described Djibouti’s proximity to Yemen and the historic ties between the two shores as a humanitarian and strategic responsibility. Under President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, the government wants to use the country’s position at the crossroads of East Africa, the Arab world and major shipping routes to promote stability and dialogue.
The statement follows discussions between Djibouti and Tanzania on maritime security on 28 October, and coordination of the reception of new Yemeni refugees in Obock, announced on 20 September.
