Saudi to open military base in Djibouti

A Saudi military base is set to open in Djibouti “very soon” according to an announcement by Djibouti’s Foreign Minister yesterday.

“I took Saudi military leaders to some of Djibouti areas for Saudi Arabia’s military bases,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

He explained that “the security, military and strategic draft of the accord is ready and the coastal areas that could host the base, be it military or naval, have been identified after Saudi military officers and officials explored some of the Djibouti areas.”

The deal was initially discussed in March, yet has shown no signs of materialising.

Youssouf stressed that “there are no hesitations on the deal and the delay is purely technical as such matters do take some time, and there are no political reasons behind it.”

On Iran, Youssouf insisted that Djibouti has cut all ties with the Islamic Republic ever since it undermined the “legitimate government of Yemen” and after it supported the Houthi’s cross border attacks onto Saudi soil.

Both Djibouti and Saudi Arabia have a vested interest in securing the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. Recent reports have shown that Iran has been smuggling weapons to the Houthi rebels from Somalia via the waterways surrounding Yemen and the Horn of Africa.