Tracer des frontières à Djibouti

Monsieur l’Ambassadeur,

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency’s note of the 2nd instant, reciting the arrangement upon which we have agreed with regard to the repective rights of Great Britain and France in the Gulf of Tajourra and on the Somali Coast.
The provisions of this arrangement are as follow :
1. The Protectorates exercised, or to be exercised, by Geat Britain and France shall be separated by a straight line starting from a point on the coast opposite to the wells of Hadou, and passing through the said wells to Abassouen; from Abassouen the line shall follow the caravan road as far as Bia-Kabouba, and from this latter point it shall follow the caravan road from Zeyla to Harrar, passing through Gildessa. It is expressly agreed that the use of the wells of Hadou shall be common to both parties.
2. Her Britanic Majesty’s Government recognizes the Protectorate of France over the coast of the Gulf of Tajourra, including the group of the Mushah Island and the islet of Bab, situated in the gulf, as well as over the inhabitants, tribes, and fractions of tribes situated to the west of the line above mentioned.
The Government of the French Republic recognize the Protectorate of Great Britain over the coast to the east of the above line as far as Bender-Ziadeh, as well as over the inhabitants, tribes, ans fraction of tribes situated to the east of the same line.
3. The two Governments pledge themselves to abstain from taking any action or exercising any intervention, the Government of the Republic to the east of the above line, Her Britanic Majesty’s Government to the west of the same line.
4. The two Governments engage not to endeavour to annex Harrar, nor to place it under their Protectorate. In taking this engagement, the two Governments do not renounce the rights of opposing attempts by any other Power to aquire or assert any rights over Harrar.
5. It is expressly agreed the caravan road from Zeyla to Harrar, by way of Gildessa, shall remain open in its entire extent to the commerce of this two nations, as well as to that of the natives.
6. The two Governments engage to take all necessary measures to prevent the Slave Trade and the importation of gunpowder and arms in he territories subject to their authority.
7. The Government of Her Britanic Majesty engage to treat with consideration («bienveillance») those persons, whether chiefs or members of the tribes placed under their Protectorate, who had previously adopted the French Protectorate. The Government of the Republic, on their part, take the same engagement with regard to the persons and tribes henceforth placed under their Protecorate.
I have the honour to state that the arrangement recited in your Excellency’s note, of which the above is a textual translation, is accepted by Her Majesty’s Governement, and will be considered by them as binding upon the two country from the present date.
In doing so, I will add, for the sake of records, that I understand the third clause of the Agreement to preclude the garanting by either party of protection to natives within the Protectorate of the other party; and that I gathered in conversation that your Excellency concured with me in that opinion.

Référence Pierre Alype, «L’Ethiopie et les convoitises allemandes», p. 137

Pour citer ce document djibouti.frontafrique.org/?doc42, mis en ligne le 19 octobre 2010, dernière modification le 22 décembre 2010, consulté le 19 avril 2024.