German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who had embarked on a three-day trip across Africa including Kenya, was forced to divert her plane to Saudi Arabia over complications on reaching Djibouti.
After touching down in the Middle East on Wednesday, Baerbock revealed that she could not touch down in Djibouti as earlier planned due to her government plane's lack of permit to fly over Eritrea.
She further noted that she could not fly over Sudan or the Red Sea due to the ongoing conflicts covering the two regions.
"When things happen that are not actually planned, you have to be flexible," the Minister told the press after touching down in the City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Her trip to Djibouti was expected to kick off the three-day trip with other destinations being South Sudan and Kenya.
On the agenda, the Minister is expected to discuss the ongoing Sudan conflict as well as reiterate European Union's unwavering commitment to protecting the Red Sea. The trade route has been affected by conflict from the Yemen Houthis.
The pilot of the plane revealed that his team did not receive clearance to fly over Eritrea despite making all efforts according to DW.
"Despite all our efforts, we unfortunately did not receive our overflight clearance to Eritrea," the pilot told the press.
Baerbock is expected to Head to Djibouti on Thursday.
DW reported that the Minister suffered a number of hiccups with her plane including her trips to the Indo-Pacific Region in August last year and when she was left stranded in Doha in May.
In 2022, she also had to cancel a meeting with a British Minister because her plane could not leave Ireland because of excess ice.
Her trip to Kenya is aimed at holding talks with President William Ruto on his efforts to end the conflict in Sudan pitting military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his paramilitary rival General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
“Together with my partners in Djibouti, Kenya, and South Sudan, I will explore possibilities to bring generals Burhan and Hemeti finally to the negotiating table, so that they do not drag the people in Sudan deeper into the abyss and destabilise the region any further,” Baerbock's earlier statement read in part.
“We must increase the pressure on both sides through sanctions, by holding them accountable for their crimes against the civilian population and by influencing their supporters from abroad."
