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Berbera (Somalia) (AFP) – The soporific seaside town of Berbera is slowly changing as it plays a major role on the Red Sea shipping route, allowing Somaliland to dream of prosperity and even recognition. The port of Berbera, dozens of containers are piled on a sun-scorched platform and some cranes gracefully carry bags of sorghum and other merchandise from a hideous cargo ship.
The facilities are far from modern, but Somaliland's busiest shipping lanes in the world will turn the state into a job-creating buoy and will encourage international recognition 27 years after its separation of Somalia.
Somaliland's ambitions were strengthened in March by a 51% stake in the port and Ethiopia by 19%.
DP World plans to invest $ 442 million (377 million euros) to modernize the port, with an initial extension of 400 square meters (4,300 square feet) in October, this should take 24 month.
"The benefits we expect from the development of the port are the jobs. We expect many foreign investors … to generate jobs and income for us, "said Saad Ali Shire, Foreign Minister of Somaliland.
He said the port has long been the The main source of government revenue.
Nevertheless, the arrival of DP World was a "cultural shock" for those who were accustomed to the sluggishness of business in the port, admits Said Hbadan Abdullahi, general manager of the # 39; port authority
.was a big change … in terms of container volume.Since they took over, we have more customers, "he said.
– Ethiopia is considering an access to the sea –
The operation saw the number of containers transiting through Berbera double up to 100,000 equivalents twenty feet (TEU), Abdullahi predicts that investment will double the flow – a figure that will bring Berbera closer to the capacity of the ultra-modern ports in neighboring Djibouti that process about 980,000 TEUs a year.
Development will be a boon not only for Somaliland, but also for its landlocked neighbor, Ethiopia, a fast-growing economy with a population of 100 million inhabitants looking for new ports in the region to export its products.
Since the independence of the former Eritrea in 1993, which provoked a violent border conflict, Ethiopia has been transporting 95% of its trade to Djibouti.
But now, an unbridled peace process with Eritrea has also opened up new markets. through its ports of Mbadawa and Assab, which with Berbera developments could reshape trade in the Horn region of Africa
Somaliland, which has avoided anarchy and the The chaos that Somalia has experienced over the last three decades is well-placed for, "said Ahmed Soliman, a researcher at London-based Chatham House think tank
. However, the agreement of DP World has angered Somalia, which does not recognize the independence of Somaliland. and declared unconstitutional.
Shire said that the agreement affected the ongoing talks between Mogadishu and Hargeisa, which were to resume in March.
– Regional Influence –
He said that DP World had trusted Somaliland, expressing the hope that this could inspire confidence in the state and lead to formal recognition.
"I think that it will eventually be recognized, because we have a legal right, a historical right, a moral right" The presence of DP World in Berbera is also a sign of the l & # 39; UAE's growing engagement in the Horn of Africa, which has become the key to its strategic interests over the past three years, said the Soliman
Somaliland granted the UAE a 25-year concession to build a military base in Berbera that he could use in the war that he is leading alongside Saudi Arabia against Huthi rebels backed by Iran in Yemen. The war in Yemen … has been a key factor of engagement in the Horn of Africa, "said Soliman.
Somaliland is now in the midst of a struggle for Influence in the region.In June 2017, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. , which Doha disputes
.] Some in Somaliland worry about the price They may have to pay for their links with the United Arab Emirates, but Shire dismisses their concerns.
"Of course, carry foreign forces on your soil always carries a risk, "he said." (But) we believe the benefits are more than the risks. "
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