Sisi phones Guelleh, voices support to Djibouti after floods

CAIRO – 5 December 2019: President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday affirmed Egypt’s support to the government and people of Djibouti in the aftermath of recent floods, as he made a telephone call with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the Egyptian Presidency said.

Sisi voiced support to Djibouti in such hard circumstances and expressed readiness to dispatch medical and relief aids to back the Djiboutian national efforts following the floods, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.

The recent floods in Djibouti had caused the death of nine people and the displacement of about 250,000 others in the Djiboutian capital only, according to Down to Earth, as the African country, in one day, has received “two years’ worth of rainfall.”

Sisi affirmed Egypt's appreciation for the historical relations between the two countries, which are reflected in the consensus of the two countries’ visions in many Arab, African and international issues. He also stressed Egypt's keenness to continue fostering relations with Djibouti, especially in the commercial and investment fields.

For his part, President Guelleh praised the continuous development of bilateral relations with Egypt, and expressed his deep appreciation for the Egyptian people and leadership, especially in light of Egypt’s expression of solidarity with the Djiboutian people in such circumstances. He also hailed Egypt’s permanent willingness to meet the developmental needs of the people of Djibouti.

The two presidents also discussed updates of a number of regional issues linked to the African Union, in light of Egypt’s presidency of the AU. Sisi expressed his aspiration to continue coordination with the Guelleh on issues of security, stability and development in Africa.



In September, Sisi met with Guelleh, along with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta on he sidelines of the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they agreed to continue coordination and consultation.

Sisi, during the meeting, highlighted the need of convergence between the visions of Kenya and Djibouti, as part of the keenness to unify the African stance, based on the wisdom of the two countries' presidents.

The three leaders agreed on the continuation of coordination and consultation, stressing that the East African region is witnessing a critical stage, in light of the major challenges currently under way, including terrorism, and the need to achieve development and prosperity for the peoples of the African nations.

Guelleh also met in June with Egyptian Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal. The speaker affirmed that Djibouti is a key partner to Egypt in realizing economic sustainability and regional security in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.