Djibouti - Military Doctrine

Change in Djibouti’s economic and strategic options has been driven by four factors: the Ethiopian–Eritrean war of 1998–2000, the impact of Ethiopia’s economic transformation and growth upon trade; shifts in US strategy since 9/11, and the upsurge in piracy along the Gulf of Aden and Somali coasts. With the expansion of the US AFRICOM base, the reconfiguration of France’s military presence and the establishment of Japanese and other military facilities, Djibouti has become an international maritime and military laboratory where new forms of cooperation are being developed.

As a small state surrounded by larger ones in a region marked by different international tensions, its margin of manoeuvre is tightly constrained by external economic factors and strategic pressures. Yet this is hardly new and Djiboutian elites have long thrived in their state of dependency.

Pirates and other criminals have specifically targeted and kidnapped foreigners working in Somalia. In October 2011, a U.S. citizen aid worker living in Somalia was kidnapped, and in January 2012, another U.S. citizen was kidnapped while on work-related travel in Somalia. In both cases, as well as in recent kidnappings of other Westerners, the victims took precautionary measures by hiring local security personnel, but those hired to protect them appear to have played a key role in the abductions. A strong familiarity with Somalia and/or extensive prior travel to the region does not reduce risk of travel into that region. Any U.S. citizens travelling to Somalia, including Somaliland and Puntland, are advised to obtain Kidnap and Recovery Insurance, as well as Medical Evacuation Insurance, prior to travel and register with the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which covers Somalia.

Seaborne travel near Djibouti is extremely dangerous. There have been hundreds of incidents of armed attacks and robberies at sea by pirate groups on ships transiting around the Horn of Africa. In 2011, pirates hijacked a yacht in the Gulf of Aden carrying four U.S. citizens, who were subsequently killed. Additionally, after the April 2009 hijacking of a U.S. cargo vessel and subsequent rescue of the vessel’s captain by U.S. forces, Somali pirates threatened to retaliate against U.S. citizens transiting the region.

Djibouti’s neighbors depend on Djibouti because of its regional access; transportation links; and strong cultural, economic, and political ties to the region. Djibouti, however, depends on its neighbors financially. Former President Gouled of Djibouti helped form the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), chartered in 1986. IGAD members include Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. Since 1986, the organization worked to strengthen cooperation among its members in the areas of food security and economic cooperation and integration. In November 1996, IGAD took responsibility for conflict resolution among its members.

In 1996, a revitalized organization of seven East African states, IGAD, established its secretariat in Djibouti. IGAD's mandate is for regional cooperation and economic integration, and it has also sought to play a positive role promoting regional stability, including its efforts in support of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG).