# Assab, Berbera Ports Framed as Equidistant in 2019 Report

> A 7 June 2019 op-ed claimed Assab, Djibouti and Berbera ports are roughly 800km from Addis Ababa, but offered no evidence of later status.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: ports, roads
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/assab-berbera-equidistant-2019-report

## Key points

- On 7 June 2019, Somaliland Standard published an op-ed by Mustafe Baroud claiming Assab, Djibouti and Berbera ports are roughly 800km from Addis Ababa and could serve Ethiopia.
- The report said Ethiopia hesitates to fully operationalise Berbera because Somaliland is not internationally recognised, and that Assab had become useless after the Ethio-Eritrean conflict.
- No evidence in the 2019 report establishes what has happened at these ports since, including any operational capacity, investment amounts, or trade shifts.

On 7 June 2019, Somaliland Standard published an op-ed by Mustafe Baroud titled "Somaliland: The Strategic Importance of Assab, Berbera Ports for Ethiopia." The piece argued that the ports of Assab (Eritrea), Djibouti, and Berbera (Somaliland) are roughly equidistant from Addis Ababa, each about 800km, according to the author.

The op-ed claimed that Djibouti is highly established, while Assab and Berbera need only "skinned services" and small reorganisation to reach regional class. It stated that Ethiopia's hesitation to fully operationalise Berbera stems from Somaliland's lack of international recognition, an assertion attributed to the author, not to Ethiopian officials.

The report said Assab port became useless and was evacuated after the Ethio-Eritrean conflict, having previously processed two-thirds of Ethiopia's trade until 1998. It also noted that in May 2016 DP World signed a US$442 million accord with the Somaliland government to operate the Port of Berbera, and that Ethiopia holds a 19% stake in a tripartite agreement involving Somaliland and the UAE.

Under that agreement, the report stated, the Ethiopian government "will invest" in infrastructure to develop the Berbera Corridor as a trade gateway. However, the op-ed provided no amount or evidence of actual spending.

The 2019 article asserted that all three ports were "functioning in different capacities under various circumstances," but offered no capacity or throughput figures. It also stated Djibouti was the "highest, modern and super infrastructural facility" without comparative metrics.

Somaliland Standard's report does not establish what has happened at Assab, Berbera or Djibouti since its publication. It does not verify current operational status, port rehabilitation, free zone completion, Ethiopia's port usage share, or any actual investment in the Berbera Corridor. The 800km distance claim and the two-thirds Assab trade share are presented without cited sources.

For readers tracking Horn of Africa port competition, the 2019 op-ed remains a snapshot of one author's view at that time, not a verified baseline for later developments.

## Questions

### What did the Somaliland Standard report on 7 June 2019 claim about Assab, Berbera and Djibouti ports?

The report by Mustafe Baroud claimed the three ports are roughly 800km from Addis Ababa, that Ethiopia hesitates to fully operationalise Berbera due to Somaliland's unrecognised status, and that Assab became useless after the Ethio-Eritrean conflict. It also said Djibouti is highly established while the other two need only small reorganisation.

### What has actually happened at Assab, Berbera and Djibouti ports since that report?

The 2019 Somaliland Standard report does not establish any verified developments since its publication. No current operational capacity, rehabilitation status, free zone completion, trade share, or investment amount is documented in that source.

## Sources

- [Somaliland: The Strategic Importance of Assab, Berbera Ports for Ethiopia](https://somalilandstandard.com/somaliland-the-strategic-importance-of-assab-berbera-ports-for-ethiopia/) — Somaliland Standard, 2019-06-07