The city of St. Paul has a new sister city. Welcome, Djibouti City.
Situated in the “Horn of Africa” and occupying a mere 9,000 square miles, the seaside nation of Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea to the north and Ethiopia to the west and south, as well as Somalia to the southeast. The entire country, a former French territory, is smaller than Vermont but bigger than New Jersey. The main languages are Somali and Afar, followed by French and Arabic.
Djibouti City, the nation’s capital, is home to 600,000 inhabitants, or more than 60 percent of the country’s population. It’s also along the Red Sea near the Indian Ocean — the world’s busiest shipping lanes — and home to the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa. The city is situated 13 miles northwest of the Somali border.
On Wednesday, the mayor of Djibouti City, Houssein Abdillahi Kayad, addressed the St. Paul City Council in person, speaking at length in French, and thanked the council for its commitment to international understanding.
The city council resolution approving the sister city relationship was sponsored by Ward 1 Council Member Dai Thao and passed unanimously. The resolution notes that St. Paul has one of the largest East African populations in the country, including a large number of immigrants from Djibouti.
The nonprofit organization Djibouti Diaspora of USA plans to help the city organize cultural exchanges.
Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.
