Djibouti has firmly rejected any attempt to impose unilateral taxes or transit fees on vessels passing through the Bab el Mandeb Strait, warning that such a move would violate international law and threaten one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the government said it opposes any effort by a single party to levy charges on ships using the strategic waterway, which is shared between the Horn of Africa and Yemen’s western coast.
The statement followed reports earlier in the day suggesting that Yemen’s Houthi movement was considering introducing transit fees for vessels navigating the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The narrow passage connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and serves as a critical gateway for global trade and energy shipments.
Djibouti said it remains fully committed to the principle of freedom of navigation and to the international legal framework governing straits used for international navigation under the law of the sea.
“The Bab el Mandeb Strait is a maritime passage of global interest, shared between the African and Asian shores. Any initiative seeking to impose, from a single shore, a toll or taxation system on ships transiting through this strait would be contrary to international law, would undermine the sovereignty of the riparian States, and would threaten the security of maritime routes essential to global trade and energy supply,” the statement said.
As a riparian state bordering the strait, Djibouti said any such measure would amount to a unilateral challenge to the international status of the waterway and would further heighten tensions in an already fragile region.
The government added that it reserves the right to pursue diplomatic, legal and security measures—either independently or in coordination with regional and international partners—to safeguard its sovereign rights, protect freedom of navigation and preserve stability in the Red Sea.
Djibouti also called on the international community, relevant international organizations and countries that rely on the strait to ensure the Bab el Mandeb remains a safe and open maritime corridor governed by international law, rather than becoming a tool for advancing particular interests.
The Bab el Mandeb Strait is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, carrying a substantial share of international trade and energy supplies between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
According to experts for Ethiopia, the issue carries particular significance. As a landlocked country, it depends overwhelmingly on Djibouti’s ports and the uninterrupted flow of cargo through the Red Sea corridor for its international trade.