06-16-2017, 10:14 PM
*** 17-Jun-17 World View -- Djibouti, Eritrea border clash looms after Qatar withdraws peacekeepers
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Djibouti, Eritrea border clash looms after Qatar withdraws peacekeepers
****
![[Image: g160613c.gif]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g160613c.gif)
Horn of Africa
The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on the Arabian Gulf has had
a ripple effect on the horn of Africa in the form of a potential
border clash between Djibouti and Eritrea.
On Friday, Djibouti accused Eritrea of invading and occupying disputed
territory along their border. Some Eritrea military officials have
confirmed that the charges are true. The invasion occurred after
Qatar withdrew hundreds of peacekeeping troops it had on the border,
following a major border war between Djibouti and Eritrea in 2008.
As we've been reporting, Saudi Arabia led a bloc of Arab countries in
imposing a land, air and sea blockade on Qatar, accusing Qatar of
funding terrorist acts through the Muslim Brotherhood, and of having
too friendly relations with Saudi Arabia's arch-enemy, Iran.
President Donald Trump's harsh condemnation of Iran during his May 22
visit to Saudi Arabia triggered a renewal of long-standing vitriolic
hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and on June 6, the
vitriolic words turned into vitriolic actions, when Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) all imposed the
land, air and sea blockade on Qatar.
In the next few days, other Arab countries, including Djibouti, joined
the blockade, while Eritrea refused to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar,
saying that it was "impossible to cut ties," because it had "strong
ties with the brother people of Qatar."
That changed last weekend. Last Sunday, Qatari officials visited to
Eritrea to firm up it support for the Qatari side. But on Monday,
Eritrea announced that it was switching sides and siding with Saudi
Arabia against Qatar, issuing a statement:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"The decision by Gulf nations is among many in the
> right direction that envisages full realizations of peace and
> stability ... For Eritrea, this is a timely issue that warrants
> its active support."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
That was all that Qatar could take. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Qatar
pulled its peacekeeping troops from the border, and on Thursday
Eritrea began its invasion.
Ethiopia has still not taken sides between Djibouti and Eritrea, but
has called for dialog to settle the differences. The UN Security
Council will meet on Monday to discuss the situation. Al Arabiya (Riyadh) and Africa News and Reuters and Press TV (Tehran)
****
**** Tiny Djibouti tries to survive, surrounded by big neighbors
****
Djibouti is a tiny country, with less than one million population,
with high rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and childhood
malnutrition. Nonetheless, the country has huge strategic importance,
guarding the entrance to the Red Sea.
Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, with more than 4,000 personnel, the
largest American permanent military base in Africa. France and Japan
launch military operations from Djibouti's Ambouli International
airport. China also has a military base in Djibouti, and is investing
heavily in the entire region with infrastructure projects.
Historically, Djibouti's population consists of two ethnic groups,
both nomadic herders. Arabian immigrants came to the country in 3
B.C. and became the Afar ethnic group, who are considered the
country's native population. Shortly thereafter, the Issa ethnic
group came from Somalia, and today they are 60% of the population. In
the 800s, Islam was introduced to the country and it became the first
country to adopt Islam in the African continent.
In 1843, French troops came to the country and made the country its
colony, later calling it French Somaliland. Following World War II,
there were two referendums on the question of independence, one in
1957 and one in 1967, and the referendum failed in both cases. The
Afars mostly voted to remain a French colony, while the dominant Issas
favored independence, and accused the French of vote-rigging. After
the 1967 referendum, France changed the name of the colony to "the
Territory of the Afars and the Issas," in order to give the minority
Afars a greater prominence. Finally, on June 27, 1997, France gave up
its last colony, and made Djibouti an independent country. In recent
years, tensions have been growing between the Afar and Issa tribes.
A border war broke out in June 2008 between Djibouti and Eritrea. In
2009, the UN Security Council approved tough sanctions against Eritrea
for supplying weapons to opponents of the Somali government and
refusing to resolve border dispute with Djibouti. A peacekeeping
mission was set up, using troops from Qatar.
With the Qatar troops leaving, the border war is resuming. The UN
Security Council will meet on Monday to decide how to proceed.
BBC (16-June-2015) and Nations Encyclopedia and Afar Diaspora Network
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Djibouti, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Ethiopia, Camp Lemonnier, China, Issas, Afars, Somalia,
French Somaliland, Territory of the Afars and the Issas
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Djibouti, Eritrea border clash looms after Qatar withdraws peacekeepers
- Tiny Djibouti tries to survive, surrounded by big neighbors
****
**** Djibouti, Eritrea border clash looms after Qatar withdraws peacekeepers
****
Horn of Africa
The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on the Arabian Gulf has had
a ripple effect on the horn of Africa in the form of a potential
border clash between Djibouti and Eritrea.
On Friday, Djibouti accused Eritrea of invading and occupying disputed
territory along their border. Some Eritrea military officials have
confirmed that the charges are true. The invasion occurred after
Qatar withdrew hundreds of peacekeeping troops it had on the border,
following a major border war between Djibouti and Eritrea in 2008.
As we've been reporting, Saudi Arabia led a bloc of Arab countries in
imposing a land, air and sea blockade on Qatar, accusing Qatar of
funding terrorist acts through the Muslim Brotherhood, and of having
too friendly relations with Saudi Arabia's arch-enemy, Iran.
President Donald Trump's harsh condemnation of Iran during his May 22
visit to Saudi Arabia triggered a renewal of long-standing vitriolic
hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and on June 6, the
vitriolic words turned into vitriolic actions, when Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) all imposed the
land, air and sea blockade on Qatar.
In the next few days, other Arab countries, including Djibouti, joined
the blockade, while Eritrea refused to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar,
saying that it was "impossible to cut ties," because it had "strong
ties with the brother people of Qatar."
That changed last weekend. Last Sunday, Qatari officials visited to
Eritrea to firm up it support for the Qatari side. But on Monday,
Eritrea announced that it was switching sides and siding with Saudi
Arabia against Qatar, issuing a statement:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"The decision by Gulf nations is among many in the
> right direction that envisages full realizations of peace and
> stability ... For Eritrea, this is a timely issue that warrants
> its active support."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
That was all that Qatar could take. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Qatar
pulled its peacekeeping troops from the border, and on Thursday
Eritrea began its invasion.
Ethiopia has still not taken sides between Djibouti and Eritrea, but
has called for dialog to settle the differences. The UN Security
Council will meet on Monday to discuss the situation. Al Arabiya (Riyadh) and Africa News and Reuters and Press TV (Tehran)
****
**** Tiny Djibouti tries to survive, surrounded by big neighbors
****
Djibouti is a tiny country, with less than one million population,
with high rates of illiteracy, unemployment, and childhood
malnutrition. Nonetheless, the country has huge strategic importance,
guarding the entrance to the Red Sea.
Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, with more than 4,000 personnel, the
largest American permanent military base in Africa. France and Japan
launch military operations from Djibouti's Ambouli International
airport. China also has a military base in Djibouti, and is investing
heavily in the entire region with infrastructure projects.
Historically, Djibouti's population consists of two ethnic groups,
both nomadic herders. Arabian immigrants came to the country in 3
B.C. and became the Afar ethnic group, who are considered the
country's native population. Shortly thereafter, the Issa ethnic
group came from Somalia, and today they are 60% of the population. In
the 800s, Islam was introduced to the country and it became the first
country to adopt Islam in the African continent.
In 1843, French troops came to the country and made the country its
colony, later calling it French Somaliland. Following World War II,
there were two referendums on the question of independence, one in
1957 and one in 1967, and the referendum failed in both cases. The
Afars mostly voted to remain a French colony, while the dominant Issas
favored independence, and accused the French of vote-rigging. After
the 1967 referendum, France changed the name of the colony to "the
Territory of the Afars and the Issas," in order to give the minority
Afars a greater prominence. Finally, on June 27, 1997, France gave up
its last colony, and made Djibouti an independent country. In recent
years, tensions have been growing between the Afar and Issa tribes.
A border war broke out in June 2008 between Djibouti and Eritrea. In
2009, the UN Security Council approved tough sanctions against Eritrea
for supplying weapons to opponents of the Somali government and
refusing to resolve border dispute with Djibouti. A peacekeeping
mission was set up, using troops from Qatar.
With the Qatar troops leaving, the border war is resuming. The UN
Security Council will meet on Monday to decide how to proceed.
BBC (16-June-2015) and Nations Encyclopedia and Afar Diaspora Network
Related Articles
- China-built railway in Kenya raises questions about 'debt trap diplomacy' (02-Jun-2017)
- Generational history of Ethiopia and Eritrea (14-Jun-2016)
- Eritrea: The most repressive regime in the world (24-Apr-2015)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Djibouti, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Ethiopia, Camp Lemonnier, China, Issas, Afars, Somalia,
French Somaliland, Territory of the Afars and the Issas
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
