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1 1 (June 3, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedne0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I Research rv ~ I ii Thiate ~riU~t Wi Updated June 3, 2021 Djibouti The small, arid East African country ofDjiboutiis strategically located along one ofthe world's busiest shippingroutes on the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which serves as the gateway fromthe Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Djiboutihas become ahub for foreign militaries. It is home to U.S. Africa Command's Combined Joint TaskForce-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), based at Camp Lemonnier, the only enduring U.S. military installation in Africa. A former French colony, Djibouti also hosts a sizable French military presence and provides facilities for multinational antipiracy operations off Somalia's coast. In 2015, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) opened a liaison office in Djiboutito enhance regional antipiracy efforts. Japan establishedits first post-World War II overseas military base there in 2011. China openedits first military base abroad there in 2017. Italy also maintains military facilities in the country. With almost no arable land, few naturalresources, andlittle industry, Djibouti's economy depends heavily on its services sector and trade through its busy international port complex Rents and related revenue fromforeign militaries are an important source ofrevenue (reportedly over $125 million annually). The country is pursuing an ambitious agenda tobecome a commercialtradehub forthe broader region. Neighboring Ethiopia, a landlocked country of over 100 million people, relies on Djibouti for the transit of90% of its formal trade, recently facilitated by a new Chinese- built rail line betweenthe two countries. China's growing engagementwith Djiboutiis multifaceted, ranging frommajor investments in infrastructure to China's establishment of a geostrategic navalbase there. China, which holds a majority of Djibouti's external sovereign debt, considers the country as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect countries to Chinese global trade routes. (For more detail, see CRS In Focus IF11304, China's Engagement in Djibouti.) Humanitarian and Development Situation Situated along Somalia's northwest border and across the Mandeb s trait fromYemen (Figure 1), Djiboutiis host to more than 30,000 refugees and asylums eekers fleeing conflict in neighboring states. Many refugees transit via Djibouti to other countries, given limited acces s to livelihood opportunities there. Djibouti's own population of just under 1 million people grapples with chronic drought, which contributes to ahigh prevalence of acute malnutrition. More than 90% of its food is imported. Djiboutiis categorized as a lower-middle-income country, but it ranks near the bottomof the U.N. Development Program's Human Development Index(166 out of 189 countries). The officialunemploymentrate is nearly 40%, and more than 40% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Female genital mutilation/cutting is prevalent. Figure I. Diibouti Source: CRS, using ESRI and U.S. State Department data. Political Situation President Isma8lOmar Guelleh has led Djibouti since 1999, when he was elected after the retirement ofthe country's first president, Hassan GouledAptidon (Guelleh's uncle). Critics argue that Guelleh's government is authoritarian and corrupt. His politicalopponents contend that opening the country to foreignbases has shielded the presidentfrom greater Western criticismof abuses, allowing Guelleh to tighten his hold on power, despite public discontent. In 2010, nearthe end of Guelleh's secondtermin office, the parliament amended the constitution to abolish term limits. He has since won reelection three more times, in 2011, 2016 and 2021 (despitehaving vowed that his 2011 reelection would be his third and fmaltime); he carried the 2021 election with nearly 97% of the vote. As in previous elections, opposition parties, most of which boycotted the elections, as serted that the results were rigged. Age limits in the current constitution would make Guelleh ineligible to run forreelection again. Guelleh's governing Union for the Presidential Majority coalition (UMP afterits French acronym) maintains an overwhelming majority in parliament, and power within the coalition is heavily concentrated in the president's own party. The main opposition parties boycotted the mo s t recent parliamentary elections, in early 2018. The State Department's 2020human rights report notes that electoralprocesseshadlittlerelevanceto thereal distribution and exercise of power. The report highlights arbitrary arrests of opposition members, journalists, academics, and demonstrators; suppression of the opposition; and restrictions on freedomof speech and as sembly. Thereport also suggests that officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. tps://cr srports.congress.go%

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