BY BERTIL LINTNER | ASIA TIMES
The Republic of Djibouti is on any measure one of the most stable countries in eastern Africa. There are no known Islamic radicals here and, unlike its immediate neighbor Somalia and Yemen across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it is not plagued by a vicious civil war. Continue reading Risks Bubbling Beneath Djibouti’s Foreign Bases
BY AARON BROOKS | EAST AFRICAN MONITOR
For the past decade, Djibouti has been a tiny haven in the Horn of Africa, mostly free from the tension simmering elsewhere in the region. This has produced an influx of investment that has turned Djibouti into one of Africa’s most important trade and military hubs. Continue reading Djibouti: From Island of Stability to Agent of Chaos?
BY AMY CHENG | FOREIGN POLICY
Djibouti lies more than 2,500 miles from Sri Lanka but the East African country faces a predicament similar to what its peer across the sea confronted last year: It has borrowed more money from China than it can pay back. Continue reading Will Djibouti Become Latest Country to Fall Into China’s Debt Trap?
BY AARON MAASHO / REUTERS
The United Arab Emirates pledged a total of $3 billion in aid and investments to Ethiopia on Friday, an Ethiopian official said, a major show of support for the new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.
The UAE will deposit $1 billion in Ethiopia’s central bank to ease a severe foreign currency shortage, government spokesman Ahmed Shide told Reuters at a palace in Addis Ababa after Abiy met with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed. Continue reading UAE to Give Ethiopia $3bn Aid Package
BY SPUTNIK
Russia and Sudan are negotiating the possibility of installing a logistics center for Russian warships in the Red Sea on Sudanese territory, Russian ambassador to Khartoum Vladimir Zheltov told Sputnik. Continue reading Russian Navy Negotiating to Establish Logistics Facility in Sudan
BY AHMED H ADAM | AL JAZEERA
Sudan’s political crisis is sliding into a dangerous phase. Its economy is on the verge of collapse. The price of food and other basic commodities is rising by the day, worsening living conditions for ordinary Sudanese and stirring growing discontent in the country. Continue reading Sudan’s Bashir is Playing a Dangerous Game
BY SEBASTIEN LE BELZIC | LE MONDE AFRICA *
In November 2017, Djibouti’s President, Ismail Omar Guelleh, was received in Beijing with great fanfare by the Chinese president. But behind the official statements and the signing of a “strategic partnership”, Xi Jinping also recalled that Chinese investments in Djibouti were a source of concern for his Government. Continue reading In Djibouti, “China Begins to Become Disillusioned”
BY AGENCIES *
Construction of a UAE naval base in Somaliland has started with the facility expected to be completed by June 2018.
Sharjah-based engineering group Divers Marine Contracting is leading the project after being awarded the $90m contract in April, Arabian Business reported, citing company managing director Abdulla Darwish as saying. Continue reading UAE’s Somaliland Naval Base Construction Begins
