Jeune Afrique says Djibouti remains removed from regional crises
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ADI
Re-elected in April for a sixth term with nearly 98% of the vote, Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is relying on the country’s geography and diplomacy to keep it away from regional tensions. Despite Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, this strategy has enabled him to keep the country out of conflicts, according to Jeune Afrique.
Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is relying on diplomacy to keep Djibouti away from the crises surrounding the country, according to Jeune Afrique. Re-elected in April for a sixth term with nearly 98% of the vote in the first round, he faces a major political milestone in 2028 with the next parliamentary elections.
Jeune Afrique notes that Djibouti has notably protected its communities from tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea since 2023. The country is also relying on its port and logistics infrastructure and its diplomatic network, strengthened by the 2025 election of Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti’s former foreign minister, as chairperson of the African Union Commission.
Djiboutian diplomacy is now led by Abdoulkader Houssein Omar, who succeeded Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in April 2025. Jeune Afrique presents this transition as a continuation of the diplomatic approach pursued over the previous 20 years.
