Djibouti, Saudi Arabia finalise military base deal

Djibouti and Saudi Arabia are finalising an agreement allowing Riyadh to build a military base in the Horn of Africa nation.

“We’re going to signal a military co-operation settlement quickly in Riyadh,” Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssef told The Financial Times.

“I cannot provide the particulars…as it is classified. But you will know when it goes ahead,” he added.

Youssef said that Riyadh signed a security agreement with the government last year and Djibouti followed up the agreement by confirming the agreement with its judiciary earlier this month as it prepared to set up its base.

Saudi officials could not be reached for comment.