Djibouti to hold talks with France on defence cooperation treaty

A delegation led by Djibouti’s Defence Minister Hassan Omar Mohamed Bourhan is expected in Paris to complete the terms of a nearly decade-old military agreement, according to Africa Intelligence daily.

Djiboutian Defence Minister Hassan Omar Muhamed Bourhan will be discussing military tteaties and investment in his country.

It would be recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron met with Djibouti’s long-standing leader Ismaël Omar Guelleh in Paris last year, with the renegotiation of a military agreement at the top of the agenda.

Obviously, Paris is expected to smooth relations with the Djiboutian authorities despite failure so far to renew its military cooperation treaty with them.

On September 15, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu made his first official visit to Djibouti to open up renegotiation of the defence agreement between both countries.

Over the past 10 years, France downsized its military presence in Djibouti, but its troops there are still key partners with regional states and the US.

The French government signed a defence agreement in 1977 and once again in 2011, giving Paris the right to use Djibouti as a base for some 1,500 soldiers, fighter jets and navy.

In exchange, France provides air defence for the country and pays some US$40m in annual rent. Although the French government wants to retain the base, Guelleh’s government hopes to use the location for a new business district, according to RFI’s Leonard Vincent.