AFRICOM’s $6 billion fiasco in Djibouti
Thomas C. Mountain - May 15, 2009
ASMARA, Eritrea — The USA African Command (AFRICOM) is building their new African megabase in the tiny Horn of African country of Djibouti. The first phase is costing $2 billion, according to reports, and eventually another $4 billion will be spent. This latest expansion of USA imperial might, this time on African soil, is turning into a fiasco for the Pentagon and US State Department.
To understand why one must review the recent history in the region. Djibouti is and has been little more than a province of Ethiopia. It was a French colony and continues to host a significant French military base. Since 9-11, the USA military has been feverishly trying to find a site for a major military presence in a strategic place in Africa. Unfortunately for the Pentagon, no African country with a suitable site will allow the USA to set up shop there.
So enter Djibouti. With a population of about 500,000, and one of the poorest countries on the planet, Djibouti sits at the entrance to the Red Sea, through which passes much of the world’s shipping, including a sizable portion of the oil used in Europe and Asia. The USA made the Djiboutian president an offer he couldn’t refuse and now the concrete is being poured and the new runways and docks are growing out of the sand and desert of the North African coastline of the Indian Ocean.
Tags: Military Base, Pentagon
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January 2nd, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Here is an example of somebody who knows nothing about a country he is writing about… since when Djiboutu has been an ethiopian’s province in history ? Do you have any historical fact to credibilitate your assertion? of course, no… For your information Djibouti Has always among the few African countries with the highest income. That’s what Ethiopians, somalians and Eriterians are coming by thousands to live in Djibouti. Before writing your stupidities do some searches , imbecile.
A djiboutian
November 24th, 2010 at 3:05 am
The author doesn’t mean literally a province of Ethiopia, he means by de facto. You must drop your pride and increase your reading comprehension.
I agree with him, we have become puppets of the West just like Ethiopia has. Only Eritrea is the one who remains truly nationalistic and self-reliant…but the West including Ethiopia continue to marginalize them for this fact.
Like a Kenyan MP said the other week, Eritrea is the hope for Africa..we must emulate them as well as peacefully overthrow our Djiboutian leadership who serve the interests of the West. Hopefully the rest of Africa will do the same.
A Djiboutian
February 7th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
Djibouti is actually 40-50% unemployed and among the worlds poorest economies with a Labor Force: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
get the picture?