Home DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI: Ismaël Omar Guelleh meets Emmanuel Macron in Paris

DJIBOUTI: Ismaël Omar Guelleh meets Emmanuel Macron in Paris

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Emmanuel Macron / Ismaël Omar Guelleh @Capture Facebook

After having met the French employers and the Senate on Thursday, February 11, 2021, the head of State of Djibouti Ismaël Omar Guelleh will be received at the Elysée this Friday, February 11, 2021 by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. On the agenda of the talks, a fiscal agreement between the two countries, French investments in Djibouti, and the renewal of a defense agreement.

The defence agreement between Paris and Djibouti must be renewed before it expires.Djibouti offers a strategic support point to France, which intends to maintain its largest military base abroad. However, this East African state with a population of one million, as part of the renegotiation of the contract, would like to replace the French military base with a business district, which reduces the chances of a compromise. Indeed, Djibouti is located a short distance from the strategic strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, where a large part of the world trade between Asia and the West transits. It is obvious that France wants to maintain the presence of its 1,500 soldiers in this area where competition is fierce. 

Since 2002, the United States has had its only permanent base in Africa with 4,000 soldiers engaged in counter-terrorism operations against the Somali Shabaab and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Japan and Italy have also established themselves to contribute to the fight against piracy in the region. China ended up in Djibouti in 2017 and currently has a port and a military base to secure its huge economic interests (transport, industry, energy…) in the region.

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The meeting between the two heads of state is also an opportunity to talk about investments. An agreement with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (PACA) is about to be signed, as is a partnership with the electrician Engie. This time France did not hesitate as it was the case in March 2019, the date of the last meeting between Guelleh and Macron. The presence of China and its strong partnership with the Djibouti state explain these agreements quickly found between Paris and Djibouti. Indeed, China has largely financed infrastructure and even a rail line leading to Addis Ababa, replacing the former French train.

President Ismaël Omar Guelleh is candidate in the next presidential elections planned in the month of April 2021 to try to run for a fifth mandate. The opposition, which deems this candidacy unconstitutional, is ready to boycott the election and calls for foreign intervention to avoid chaos in this country with a strategic position. The spokesman for the presidential majority, Daoud Houmed, assures that this precise point will be discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron to ensure that the elections take place in the most absolute transparency. 

       

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