How Tiny Djibouti Said ‘No’ to the US
The East African country is host to Chinese, French and US naval bases
The location of the tiny East African nation, at the point where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden, has made Djibouti — a predominantly Islamic country — a strategic priority for major powers.
It’s home to Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese and US military bases. Germany would like its own naval base in the country too, according to diplomats in the region. Tokyo has recently supplied new coastguard patrol vessels.
Imagine a Cold War Berlin on the Horn of Africa, but this time acting as an intersection between the West and the Arab world. The up market Djibouti Palace Kempinski Hotel is popular with the tight-knit intelligence community.
Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed says that after the Houthi missile attacks began in October, the US asked for permission to conduct operations against the group from inside its naval base in Djibouti.
The government said no.
Bloomberg 16 maj 2024
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