Djibouti Foreign Troops
Around the size of Massachusetts and with a population of under 800,000, Djibouti would have been at risk from its much larger and stronger neighbours such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea if it hadn't been able to look abroad for help with its security, in particular, France who held it as a territory prior to independence in 1977. Despite this, Djibouti still has to ensure the integrity of its own borders, as was demonstrated in the Djibouti - Eritrea border war of 2008.
Fortunately Djibouti has a strategic location on the Horn of Africa making it an ideal base for foreign troops with easy access to Somalia, Yemen and other Arab states. As such the country is currently France's largest foreign military base with several thousand troops there including the 13e Démi-Brigade de la Légion Étrangère and the USA also has troops in the country, using it as a base to track down al-Qaeda terrorists in nearby Yemen as part of its so called 'War on Terror'.
In
fact Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan
Africa, Camp Lemonnier,
(left) the former barracks of the French Foreign
Legion, is today home to the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of
Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the United States Africa Command and is
used for humanitarian, and counter-terrorism efforts in the
region. It is based at Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport,
which also serves as a civilian airport.
This video explores the history and current deployment of foreign troops in Djibouti and their role in maintaining some peace in the Horn of Africa.
TAGS: Djibouti Foreign Troops, Foreign Troops in Djibouti, Djibouti Foreign Troops Video, Djibouti Foreign Troops Documentary, Deployment of Foreign Troops in Djibouti, War on Terror