Ethiopian citizens residing in Djibouti say they face threats and harassment at the hands of plain-clothes officers as the Djiboutian government cracks down on undocumented migrants. The Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti has advised Ethiopian nationals living in Djibouti without residence permits to leave the country in the coming week to avoid forced repatriation.
Among the Ethiopians facing uncertainty is a 60-year-old man, who has resided in Djibouti with his family for more than a quarter of a century. He told The Reporter that Djiboutian authorities recently ordered him to leave the country.
“I don’t have anything, anywhere else on earth, except the little business I do and my family of four. We all have been living in Djibouti,” he said, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal.
The latest edict from the Djiboutian government could affect thousands of Ethiopians, many of whom have called the tiny coastal nation home for decades. The Ethiopian embassy has advised those without residence permits to leave the country before the end of a one-month grace period granted by the Djiboutian government on May 2, 2025.
The abrupt nature of the crackdown has taken many by surprise, and residents who spoke to The Reporter say they are apprehensive and unsure of where to turn.
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The Djiboutian Embassy in Addis Ababa Did Not Respond to The Reporter’s requests for comment.
The developments coincide with an April 23 visit to Djibouti by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which saw the two countries sign an MoU for the construction of solar and wind power projects in return for a port corridor for Cairo.
According to Egyptian media reports, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting Djibouti in achieving energy security by sharing its expertise in the sector.
The president is quoted as saying, “We agreed to launch an ambitious and joint program to achieve energy security in Djibouti.”
The reports indicate the deal will include rehabilitating Djibouti’s national electricity grid and laying the foundation stone for a solar power station in the village of Omar Jagaa in the Arta region.
The two countries’ electricity and energy ministries would implement the project with support from the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation and the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, according to reports.
Analysts note the budding relations between Cairo and Djibouti come as Ethiopia continues its efforts to secure maritime access. Landlocked Ethiopia currently depends on Djiboutian ports for up to 95 percent of its international trade.
How the deal with Egypt will affect Ethio-Djibouti relations remains to be seen.
Djibouti sources its drinking water from Ethiopia and is a major buyer of khat, one of Ethiopia’s most valuable export commodities. Ethiopia also supplies electricity to Djibouti, as well as Kenya and Sudan, with plans to extend exports to Tanzania in the near future.
Power exports generated more than USD 61 million over the first half of the financial year, according to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP). Reports indicate that Djibouti accounted for USD 17.2 million, sourcing just over 274 gigawatt hours of electricity from Ethiopia over the period.
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