Date: Wed, 28 May 2014 00:09:12 +0200
Is Djibouti al-Qaeda's new front?
<http://www.channel4.com/news/jamal-osman> Jamal Osman
<http://www.channel4.com/news/jamal-osman> Jamal Osman Reporter
27/05/2014
On Saturday, suspected suicide bombers struck a restaurant popular with
westerners in Djibouti. Three people died and more than a dozen were
injured, including European nationals.
The attack is the first of its kind. No one has claimed responsibility yet,
but it appears to be the beginning of a campaign by al-Qaeda-linked groups
to open a new front in the continent.
With a population of less than a million, mainly ethnic Somalis and Afar,
the Red Sea country is the smallest in the horn of Africa, but it's
strategically important. It is home to the largest and the "only" US
military base in Africa. Other western forces are also present; especially
Djibouti's former colonial master, France.
It appears that Djibouti now offers key characteristics for the Islamists to
come in and do business.
>From its base in Djibouti, the US has carried out drone strikes and other
military operations against Islamists in Yemen and Africa. The fact is that
Djibouti poses a serious threat to al-Qaeda-associated organisations. The
weekend attack will, at the least, unsettle US soldiers who usually enjoy
freedom.
Unlike neighbouring countries, westerners feel comfortable walking on the
streets in Djibouti without fear of being killed. On weekends, they go out
to restaurants and clubs designed to cater for rich foreigners.
Many of the army personnel have rented houses in Djibouti city for their
girlfriends, where they spend their free time. All that is likely to change.
The US embassy in Djibouti has
<http://djibouti.usembassy.gov/message_us.html#.U4EeQMLR0Uk.twitter> already
released a statement advising members of its staff to "limit their movements
and exercise heightened security measures at this time". US citizens are
advised to do the same.
To successfully operate in a country, any political group would need a local
network for support. It appears that Djibouti now offers key characteristics
for the Islamists to come in and do business.
'Father Ismael'
Djibouti doesn't only provide a base for the US, but its forces are part of
the African Union mission fighting to defeat Somalia's al-Shabaab. However,
that is not a major factor for locals to potentially see Islamists as an
alternative to the current rule.
Anger against western forces - especially the US forces - has been growing
in the past few years. It's a familiar story in many parts of the world:
while the US claims to be promoting good governance, human rights, freedom
and justice, in Djibouti it is supporting what is viewed by some as a
ruthless authoritarian regime.
As long as he is part of the "war against terror", Washington seems to be
happy to give Djibouti's president Ismail Omar Guelleh military and
financial support. This month, the
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/05/us-secures-10-year-deal-djib
outi-base-20145655315274469.html> US signed a 10-year deal for its military
base, worth $63m annually.
That money is partly what keeps leaders like Guelleh in power. He inherited
the leadership position in 1999 from his uncle and the country's first
president Hassan Guled Abtidon, who ruled the country since it gained
independence from France in 1977. Djibouti is a country run by aabo Ismail:
"father Ismael" and his associates. The US State Department's
<http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/220318.pdf> latest annual
report is very critical of the regime.
Though they don't get media attention, there have been regular
anti-government protests since the last election in 2011.
Opponents could spend years in jail. Freedom of expression is non-existent.
Anyone found criticising the "father of the nation" could disappear.
Privately-run media are not allowed, unless they regularly praise "father
Ismael".
Apart from the president's family and their allies, most locals live in
abject poverty. Even basic necessities like electricity and water are in
short supply.
Youth unemployment is very high. With that, the US army, which gave hope of
employment to local people, have disappointed them. Locals are angry with
the Pentagon for hiring staff from Asia when there are thousands of
Djiboutians desperate for work, coupled with the US' support for a leader
who is not popular.
That's why, though they don't get media attention, there have been regular
anti-government protests since the last election in 2011.
For some reason, locals do not blame the former colony as much as they blame
the Americans. It could be that the French government sometimes criticises
President Guelleh publicly.
'Little Paris'
Many of the high profile figures, who raised concerns over the country's
direction, have been locked up without fair trial in the Gabod prison, the
biggest in the country. They include the most famous religious leaders
locally known as the "two Abdirahmans".
I met one of them before the crackdown and he was complaining about how the
country's leader was allowing "foreign soldiers to turn a Muslim nation into
a brothel". In particular, he was blaming western military personnel for
"contributing to an un-Islamic behaviour". Djibouti is a small country so is
its capital city, also called Djibouti. The effect of thousands of foreign
soldiers is felt, therefore.
During the French colonisation, Djibouti was known as "the little Paris". It
was a prime destination for Europeans seeking sea, sun and sex. From the
1980s, religious leaders, who felt the country was losing its Islamic
identity, went on the offensive.
In Djibouti, with thousands of personnel on the ground, the Americans are
vulnerable.
To some extent, they had influence and many locals subsequently became more
conservative. However, since the US soldiers started arriving in Djibouti in
the early 2000s, Muslim leaders feel decades of hard work to hold on to
their Islamic principles have been reversed.
Although many women are trafficked or come from neighbouring countries,
especially Ethiopia, religious figures told me that they have seen a growing
number of local girls turning to prostitution.
Over the past two decades, I have been travelling to Djibouti and following
developments closely. Society in general feels oppressed. Young, poor and
unemployed see no way out of the situation. Muslim leaders suspect
foreigners are undermining their religious beliefs and the country is at the
forefront of America's "war on terror" with no prospect for a brighter
future.
On top of that, due to the US' support for the regime, anti-western
resentment is growing. The conditions suit al-Qaeda operatives well. Unlike
Somalia or Yemen, where Islamists cannot hit US drones or war ships, in
Djibouti, with thousands of personnel on the ground, the Americans are
vulnerable. It will no longer be machines versus men.
Djibouti is likely to become another battlefront between the "war on terror"
coalition led by the US and al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist organisations.
Ismail Omar Guelleh
Djiboutians protesting in 2007
Above: Djiboutians protesting in 2007
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