1 Djibouti Country Profile

Djibouti Country Profile

Djibouti (formerly known as French Somaliland and then as the Territory of the Afars and the Issas) is situated (Geographic coordinates: 11°30’ N, 43°00 E) on the east coast of Africa along the Bab al-Mandab, the strait that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is bordered by Eritrea to the N, Ethiopia N, W, and S, by Somalia on the SE, and by the Bab al-Mandab, Gulf of Tadjourah, and Gulf of Aden on the E.Djibouti is part of the African continent bounded to the northeast and east by the Red Sea, the southeast by Somalia and the south, west and north by Ethiopia. The country is a barren strip of land around the Gulf of Tadjoura, varying in width from 20km to 90 km.

Generic Information:

Wikipedia information on Djibouti

IMF Information on Djibouti

Economist Intelligence Unit Information on Djibouti*

(*note - this is a paid service)

Humanitarian Info:

WFP information on Djibouti

UNOCHA Information on Djibouti

Facts and Figures:

Wolfram Alpha Information on Djibouti

World Bank information on Djibouti

World Population Review Information on Djibouti

1.1 Djibouti Humanitarian Background

Djibouti Humanitarian Background

Djibouti Humanitarian Background
- Calamities and Seasonal Affects
- Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
  - Government
  - Humanitarian Community

Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
Natural Disasters	Yes / No	Comments / Details
Drought	Yes	n/a
Earthquakes	Yes	Small scale, Never been reported among the top 10 natural disaster in Djibouti
Epidemics	Yes	For Bacterial infectious diseases, 4 events have been reported, during which 2,047 individuals were affected and 49 were killed. During the same period, only one event related to Parasitic infectious diseases was reported, it affected 2000 people and killed 43 individuals, an average of 12 individuals per event. Regarding affected persons, the same report mentions 2,047, given an average of 512 per event.
Extreme Temperatures	Yes	During dry season (Mid April to Mid-August) average is about 40°C
Flooding	Yes	Of the 7cases reported, 3 are unspecified, 1 reported as Flash Flood and other 3 as General Flood. For both, a total of 689,300 individuals were affected, 231 were killed. As a result of flood, it was also reported that economic damage costs amounted 5,719 USD. The worst year among these 7 events occurred on 19/11/1994 killing 145 persons and affecting 150,000 individuals
Insect Infestation	n/a	n/a
Mudslides	n/a	n/a
Volcanic Eruptions	Yes	Threat is probable as Djibouti is along Rift Valley
High Waves / Surges	n/a	n/a
Wildfires	n/a	n/a
High Winds	Yes	At the beginning of cold season (around end of July up August), Djibouti used to be affected by sandy/dusty wind which sometimes reduces visibility at about 50m. It’s called “Khamsin”.
Other Comments	For Djibouti, some natural disaster (particularly floods and droughts) exact day month related to an event are not available, and for other disaster (particularly that occurred before 1974) available records don’t provide an exact day or month of the event. In addition, with regards to Epidemics, it includes Bacterial infections (Cholera), parasitic infectious diseases
Man-Made Issues
Civil Strife	Yes	Happened - weak percentage
International Conflict	Yes	A threat is still actual
Internally Displaced Persons	Yes	Happened - weak percentage
Refugees Present	Yes	About 20,000 from Somali and at less scale from Ethiopia
Landmines / UXO Present	Yes	Low scale around Medeho Mountain in Tadjourah District
Other Comments	n/a

For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:

EMDAT information for Djibouti

For information on Djibouti Humanitarian information on the food security situation, please see the following document:

Djibouti Food Security Information

Calamities and Seasonal Affects

Seasonal Affects on Transport
Transport	Comments	From (month) to (month)
Primary Road Transport	Roads are paved, therefore the primary transport is opened all through the year	January to December
Secondary Road Transport	Most of secondary roads are not paved. In addition, in those locations where they cross temporary rivers, instead of erecting bridges to cross temporary rivers, concrete has been put to improve adherence thus vehicles drive through the river.	January to December
Rail Transport	The railway between Djibouti and Addis Ababa has not been operational for several years and is expected to be rehabilitated within a frame work of 5 years.	January to December
Air Transport	No seasonal affect. Aircrafts fly into Djibouti City all round the year	January to December
Waterway Transport	During the Khamsin (a dusty wind torn) it becomes difficult to sail on the red sea from Djibouti to Tadjourah and Obock	July to August

During the rainy season depending on the region, even if it’s not raining in Djibouti, temporary rivers become active due to water from the highlands in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In Djibouti, casual labourers for handling, work within ethnic groups. Djibouti city is divided into sectors and labourers work with the sector i.e. in the port environs it’s the Afar whereas in other areas in Djibouti such as Zone industrielle it’s the Somalis who work there.

Seasonal Affects on Storage and Handling (economic, social, climate...)
Activity	Comments	From <month> to <month>
Storage	During the hot season, long storage may result to infestation of commodity. It’s advised to follow up closely on the ratio of commodities stored during the mentioned period, otherwise to carry out fumigation	May to October
Handling	Due to the high temperatures during this period, the workers' performance especially around midday is low. Thus for better/max performance workers don’t work during those hours.	May to October
Other	In Djibouti people are familiar with the shifting principle. Indeed, it’s common to see people working up to very late in night (second from 15:30 to 22:30 and third shift from 23:00 to 06:00) As a result, it’s important to plan tasks of the day early as the list of labourers should be submitted for approval to port authorities prior to their entrance into the port.	January to December

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

Efforts have been done by the Government of Djibouti (GoD) to set up and implement Disaster Risk Management Policy at national level as well as within regional context through regional institution named Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Djibouti government is slowly enhancing its institutional capacity for DRM by building the capacity of its national leadership and implementing the HFA. The Republic of Djibouti recognizes the fact that natural disasters are major causes of poverty thus it takes centre stage in its current Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for FY 2009-2012. The government plans to address disaster vulnerability by integrating DRM into sectarian activities.

For information on Djibouti Government Emergency Responce, please see the following document:

Djibouti Capacity and Contacts for Emergency Response

For information on Djibouti Government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Djibouti Government Contact List

Humanitarian Community

For information on Djibouti Humanitarian Agency contact details, please see the following link:

4.2 Djibouti Humanitarian Agency Contact List

1.2 Djibouti Regulatory Departments

Djibouti Regulatory Departments

For information on Djibouti Regulatory Department contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Djibouti Government Contact List

1.3 Djibouti Customs Information

Djibouti Customs Information

Djibouti Customs Information
- Duties and Tax Exemption
- Customs Clearance
  - Customs Clearance Document Requirements
  - Transit Regime

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below:

4.1 Djibouti Government Contact List

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please see the following link:

Djibouti Customs Department Website

Emergency Response:

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to 'crisis' times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government. When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]

Agreements / Conventions Description	Ratified by Country? (Yes / No)
WCO (World Customs Organization) member	Yes - 31 May 1995
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention	Yes - 12 Mar 2002
OCHA Model Agreement	No
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations)	No
Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration)	Convention on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards off 1958, which entered into force on 7 June 1959 Convention establishing the inter-Arab investment guarantees cooperation of May 1971. Entered into force in April 1974 Agreement for the Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investment among Member States of the Organization of Islamic Conference of I June 1981; entered into force on 23 September 1986. Unified Agreement for the Investment of Arab Capital in the Arab States of 1982. Fourth ACP – EEC Convention (Lome IV) of 1989, entered into force on 1 Mar 1990. Charter on a Regime of Multinational Industrial Enterprises (MIEs) in the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern African States (PTA), signed on 21 November 1990, and entered into force August 1995. Source: Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern African States: Report of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Council of Ministers, 17-19 November, 1990, Mbabane, Swaziland (PTA/CM/XVI/2). Articles of Agreement of the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit of 19 February 1992. Entered into force on 1 August 1994. Treaty Establishing the Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), 1993. 1992 Convention International Trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flore. Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of 1883 (Revised at Brussels in 1900, Washington in 1911, The Hague in 1925, London in 1934, Lisbon in 1958 and Stockholm in 1967, and as amended in 1979). Signed in 1994. Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization of 15 April 1994. Entered into force on 1 January 1995;Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures; General Agreement on Trade in Services; Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response):

[Note: This section should contain information on the usual duties & taxes exemption regime during non-emergency times, when there is no declared state of emergency and no streamlines process (e.g. regular importations/development/etc.).]

OPERATIONS EFFECTUEES A DIVERS TITRES.

ART.28.12.01

Les envois dépourvus de tout caractère commercial, notamment :

les marchandises expédiées a titre de dons ou acquises par des organismes à caractère humanitaire ou œuvres de bienfaisance et destinées à être distribuées gratuitement à des nécessiteux sinistrés handicapés et autres catégories de personnes dignes d’être secourues.

Non Commercial commodities, especially :

Commodities received by known humanitarian agencies/organismes within the country should be freely distributed to recognized needy people such as people with disabilities, vulnerable groups and/or all other category of individuals who require assistance.

Consolidation of custom regulations is not yet updated (work ongoing) and printed for public circulation.
General compilation of regulations, tariffs, publications, contacts can be obtained at custom website www.douanes.dj (not updated regularly)
Main advice from market operators is to request custom written confirmation prior shipment specially when not dealing with common deliveries through a reliable C&F agent.

Organizational Requirements to obtain Duty Free Status
United Nations Agencies
There is no dedicated department within the Government to deal with customs for Humanitarian agencies It is advised that UN agencies in country have to sustain/support their project activities with a MOU agreement with specific clauses regarding facilities, privileges and immunities for project related staff, cargo & equipment to be imported/exported. WFP have an MOU with the Government signed by the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs dated 06 October 1981 in addition. The MOU together with the United Nations Conventions completes are the framework of operations in relation to exemption of duties and taxes. For illustration, principal and major articles related to exemption extracted from MOU signed by WFP and GOD for guidance ”to whom it may concern”, please see the following documents: Djibouti Customs Article Premier The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations Extract
Non Governmental Organizations
NGOs are required to sign a project agreement with the government to be entitled of taxes, import duties exemption. They must ensure that agreement is signed by the Ministry of finance and/or the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs. If no agreement exists, it is required to submit a letter (directly or through their project line Ministry) to the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs/Ministry of Finance and request prior to any shipment, the necessary exemptions. Since there are no regulations on this matter consider the above as sensible common practice.

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure:

Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure
Generalities (include a list of necessary documentation)
MOU or an agreement containing clauses for exemption of duties/taxes already in place. Issue simultaneously a requesting letter to the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs note Verbal to Ministry of Finance making reference to the MOU and attach originals of Shipping documents e.g. Humanitarian agency endorse and stamp Bill of lading & Commercial Invoice (or letter informing value of commodity) and optional Certificates ( origin, health, phytosanitary), Packing List. MOFA & M. Finance endorses & stamp on the back of the Humanitarian Agency letter and Note verbal respectively. All Process together with originals of Certificates (origin, health, and phytosanitary) and Packing List are handed over to Customs (directly or through a C&F agent) for final clearance.
Process to be followed (step by step or flowchart)
Original bill of landing endorsed and stamped by the agency representative Original commercial invoice or a letter informing value of commodity Letter to MOFA and note verbal to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed by the Ministry of Finance Process together with certificates of origin, health and fumigation plus packing list, forward to customs directly or via appointed C&F agent

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificate Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicle & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
Invoice	Yes, Original	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process may require President office authorization
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Yes, Original	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, Original	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Packing Lists	Yes, Original	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Other Documents	Agency Letter & Note verbal signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Finance respectively authorizing exemption of taxes.	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Additional Notes
In case there is an MOU already signed positive/timely reply is to be expected. For sensitive telecoms equipment normally requires an additional request letter addressed to the President's office.

Customs Clearance

General Information

Customs Information
Document Requirements	Original B/L, certificate of origin, health, phytosanitary, packing list and commercial invoice.
Embargoes	Custom refuses entry/export in case of contamination that can be hazardous to human and agriculture/animal. Custom requires a cargo fitness certificate from relevant Authorities to avoid destruction/incineration.
Prohibited Items	Djibouti being member of CITES (Convention International Trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flore). Also items such as: psychotropic substances Law n°17/AN/81 uranium, nuclear bomb, narcotic drugs etc… are restricted.
General Restrictions	No restrictions

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

Customs Clearance Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicles & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
D&T Exemption Certificate	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process & President office authorization
Invoice	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Packing Lists	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Phytosanitary Certificate	Yes, Original, 1 copy No difference	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Other Documents	A cover letter plus endorsed B/L to the C&F agent	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process	Same process
Additional Notes
For sensitive telecoms equipment normally requires and additional request letter addressed to the President office.

Transit Regime

FOR ETHIOPIA:

Custom clearance is first performed by Addis-Ababa/Ethiopia customs authority which requires presentation of original shipping documentation, for customs to provide their release sign/stamp documentation.

Thereafter all documentation, Ethiopia Customs documentation & original shipping documents are submitted to Ethiopia custom office based in Djibouti Port for verification of waybills against the permit release form issued by Addis-Ababa and if all are in order authorization to dispatch and/or cross border is given.

Djibouti custom authorization provides final checking of documentation & cargo released for dispatch and/or border crossing.

FOR OTHER DESTINATIONS:

Since no other country have customs representation in Djibouti is only require Djibouti customs office intervention & authorization.