Somalia declares locust plague emergency, appeals for funding
Somalia declared the worst desert locust invasion in a quarter-century a national emergency that's posing a major threat to an already fragile food situation. Swarms of the insects are breeding in Djibouti, Eritrea and Sudan and have also spread to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, where ...
SDF tests public support with next mission in Middle East
The Cabinet is expected to approve a Self-Defense Forces mission to the Middle East that will comprise a destroyer, patrol planes and 250 personnel as part of an intelligence-gathering operation. In addition, one of two P-3C maritime surveillance planes deployed at Japan's base in Djibouti ...
U.S. House panel to probe China's economic and military footprint in Africa and threat to trade
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said his committee will investigate China's efforts to gain military and economic power in Africa. The California Republican told "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" that China's investment in African countries would allow Beijing to strengthen its grip ...
Just as European imperial powers employed gunboat diplomacy, China is using sovereign debt to bend other states to its will.
Japan to expand SDF base in tiny but strategically important Djibouti
Japan has agreed to lease 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of empty land in the strategically important African country of Djibouti for use by Self-Defense Forces troops conducting antipiracy missions in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has said. The lease is ...
China sends military personnel to Djibouti to man its first overseas base
Ships carrying Chinese military personnel for Beijing's first overseas military base, in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, have left China to begin setting up the facility as China's rapidly modernizing military hones its global reach. Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian ...
Djibouti military chief-of-staff visits China amid base building
A senior Chinese officer has met Djibouti's military chief-of-staff in Beijing and thanked him for supporting China's construction of a military base in the Horn of Africa country, the second such high-level meeting in a month. Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian ...
Japan to expand SDF base in Djibouti to counter growing Chinese influence
Japan will lease additional land next year to expand a military base in Djibouti as a counterweight to what it sees as growing Chinese influence in the region, three Japanese government sources said. China is seeking closer ties with African nations that could help it ...
New defense chief Tomomi Inada meets SDF personnel engaged in anti-piracy mission off Somalia
New Defense Minister Tomomi Inada visited Djibouti in eastern Africa on Monday to meet with Self-Defense Forces personnel engaged in the anti-piracy mission off Somalia. "The sea transportation security (situation) continues to require caution. It is essential to steadily implement counterpiracy measures," Inada said in ...
China tries to ease worries about overseas military bases
China has launched an unusual charm offensive to explain its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, seeking to assuage global concerns about military expansionism by portraying the move as Beijing's contribution to regional security and development. The message is in stark contrast to Beijing's more ...
A senior Chinese military officer is visiting the Horn of Africa country Djibouti, where he inspected a Chinese warship participating in anti-piracy patrols, China's Defence Ministry said. In May, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh told French media his government was in talks with China about ...
The government plans to station an intelligence officer at the Self-Defense Forces base in Djibouti to deal with antipiracy operations and gather information on terrorist activities and other security matters, a source familiar with Japan-U.S. relations said Saturday. Arrangements are under way for the officer ...
