The President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, in his New Year address to the Nation has called once again for the release of the prisoners of war seized by Eritrea during Eritrea incursion into Djibouti when Eritrea attacked Djibouti in June 2008.

In his message, the President honored those who had died in the service of their country. Djibouti has repeatedly called for the release of the prisoners of war still suffering in the prisons of Eritrea, a call ignored by the Government of Eritrea. In his speech, President Guelleh also called for a quick and peaceful resolution of the dispute over Dumera on the border. There has been no progress in resolving this since the end of the fighting, despite the efforts of the Emir of Qatar to mediate between the two countries.