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Dubai accuses Djibouti of seizing key port

By AFP
February 24, 2018

DUBAI: Dubai has said it is seeking international arbitration against Djibouti after the Horn of Africa nation terminated its concession at a key port that is the main transit route to landlocked Ethiopia.

The emirate said the Djiboutian government’s termination on Thursday of the 50-year concession it granted to Dubai-owned DP World to operate the Doraleh container terminal in 2006 was "illegal".

Announcing its decision on Thursday, Djibouti’s transport ministry said that it was merely implementing a law adopted in November last year that "sets a legal framework allowing for the renegotiation, if necessary, of contracts already concluded dealing with the management or exploitation of strategic infrastructure".