An analysis published by NoonPost examines intensifying competition among more than ten international and regional powers along roughly 1,600 miles of coastline between Berbera and Port Sudan. The report cites a study by researcher Seife Ayele Asfaw for the Amani Africa centre, stating that regional maritime infrastructure is no longer politically neutral and reflects competing geopolitical visions involving the UAE, China, Russia, the US, and regional states.
According to the publication, Djibouti serves as a focal point of this overlap, hosting China's overseas military base established in 2017 for an annual lease of approximately $20 million, near the US Camp Lemonnier. Following a tripling in debt-servicing costs, Djibouti suspended loan payments to China in late 2022, after which negotiations with the Export-Import Bank of China deferred repayments until 2027, according to IMF data cited in the piece.
The report also tracks long-standing commercial port disputes involving UAE logistics giant DP World. In Djibouti, the government terminated DP World's concession for the Doraleh Container Terminal in 2018; DP World has maintained claims approaching $1 billion following arbitral awards totaling about $685 million. In Somaliland, DP World entered a $442 million concession in 2016 for Berbera port, where an initial 19 percent stake allocated to Ethiopia was declared forfeited by Somaliland in 2022.
In Port Sudan, logistics and stability challenges were highlighted by a 2021 port closure that generated an estimated €45 million in losses and a backlog of roughly 950 containers. The report notes that plans for a Russian naval facility accommodating up to 300 troops and four vessels at the port remain suspended amid regional dynamics and ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Sources
- نون بوست · 2026-10-07
