Hundreds passing through Galafi, Dewale daily
Undocumented Ethiopian migrants are leaving Djibouti in droves following an abrupt shift in the country’s immigration policy enforcement. Well-placed sources told The Reporter that large numbers of Ethiopian migrants have been making their way back across the border each day since the Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti issued a notice last month advising undocumented migrants to exit the country or face forced repatriation.
The embassy’s advisory was prompted by an ultimatum from the Djiboutian government, which granted unregistered Ethiopian migrants a month-long grace period to exit the country. The grace period expired on May 3, 2025.
The clampdown could affect thousands of Ethiopians, many of whom have called the tiny coastal nation home for decades. Reports estimate that 50,000 Ethiopians reside in Djibouti, with the majority working as laborers or vendors.
“At least 150 Ethiopians [a day] have been leaving Djibouti via Dewale and Galafi in recent weeks,” an eye witness told The Reporter. “Most are laborers, vendors, or people working as maids in family homes or as shopkeepers.”
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The source, a construction worker who spoke anonymously, said Djiboutian authorities have not been rounding up undocumented migrants, and those crossing the border are doing so voluntarily. Still, the source says, Ethiopians in Djibouti have been living under a climate of unease, fearful of detention even before last month’s edict.
The abrupt nature of the crackdown has taken many by surprise and residents who spoke to The Reporter say they face an uncertain future. Many of them have lived in Djibouti for decades, and the country had previously tolerated the presence of undocumented Ethiopian migrants.
“In the first place, the Djiboutian government has not made it a point to issue residence permits or other legal documents that would allow Ethiopians to stay and work in Djibouti,” said the source.
Djibouti offers a one-year entry visa tied to employment at the country’s ports, but other routes to a residence permit, such as marriage to a Djiboutian national, are not a viable option for the vast majority of migrants.
Djibouti is also a major gateway for Ethiopians traveling to the Middle East, particularly for those seeking economic opportunities or fleeing conflict. Every year, thousands risk the perilous journey across the Red Sea on dinghies and boats whose seaworthiness is dubious at best.
In March alone, dozens of migrants, the majority of whom are thought to have been Ethiopian, drowned as their boats sank off the coast of Yemen.
An Ethiopian truck driver whose work often lies on the route to Djibouti says that at one point or another, many Ethiopians residing in Djibouti have attempted the dangerous trip to the Middle East.
“Denied residence in Djibouti, many Ethiopians venture into the perilous and risky sea. Their fates are not certain even if they manage to reach Yemen,” he told The Reporter.
Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that 97,000 people survived the voyage to Yemen in 2023, triple the number registered two years prior. Tightened security and increased patrols led the figure to drop to 61,000 in 2024, according to IOM.
Migration aside, Djibouti remains a crucial part of Ethiopia’s international trade, with up to 95 percent of the country’s exports and imports passing through the tiny coastal nation.
The most populated landlocked country in the world, Ethiopia has depended on Djibouti for nearly three decades. Over the past year-and-a-half, the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has been vocal about the need to wean Ethiopia off this dependence.
However, the campaign to secure maritime access has upset geopolitical dynamics in the Horn of Africa, with some analysts arguing the Ethiopian government’s efforts have isolated it diplomatically from its neighbors.
A memorandum of understanding signed with breakaway Somaliland in January 2024 led to a year-long standoff between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, which viewed the agreement as a direct attack on its sovereignty.
Although relations have improved in recent months, the effects of the feud remain. Egypt was quick to use the fallout between Somalia and Ethiopia as a basis for closer relations with Mogadishu and to secure the participation of Egyptian troops in the latest AU-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Cairo appears keen to continue growing its influence in the Horn. An April 23 visit to Djibouti by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi saw the two countries sign an MoU for the construction of solar and wind power projects, with Egypt poised to gain a port corridor in return.
El-Sisi has committed to supporting Djibouti in achieving energy security, according to Egyptian media reports. How the MoU will affect Ethiopia’s energy exports to Djibouti, which generated more than USD 17 million over the first half of the financial year, is not yet clear.
Nonetheless, the developments have sparked concern from observers, who worry about the repercussions of Egypt’s expanding presence in the Horn on relations between Ethiopia and Djibouti.
The Djiboutian Embassy in Addis Ababa Did Not Respond to The Reporter’s requests for comment.
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