Why Several Super Powers Have Army Installations In Djibouti

Military and Naval Bases

Djibouti, a small country located in the Horn of Africa, is not widely known in the western world except for its unusual name in English. Despite being the smallest country on the African continent with a population of only about 957,000 people, Djibouti is an important geopolitical hotspot due to the numerous foreign military bases established on its territory. The capital city, also called Djibouti, is home to several military bases, including the only permanent military base that the United States has in Africa. In addition to the American military base, there are French, Japanese, Italian, German, Spanish, and Chinese military bases located in Djibouti. Despite its small size and funny sounding name, Djibouti plays a significant role in global politics due to the presence of these military bases.

In 2021 Djibouti agreed to permit Saudi Arabia to start development of another army installation in the country too which will probably show up some place close to the American base at the point when finished and afterward throughout recent years, Djibouti has likewise been sought by the Indian and Russian legislatures to build a base there for themselves too of some sort.

By 2023, Djibouti has become the country with the highest concentration of foreign military bases per capita in the world. This raises the question of how and why a small country in the Horn of Africa has become the global military base for major powers to establish their operations in the 21st century.

The Bab al-Madab Strait

Djibouti's strategic value stems from its favorable location. Despite being a small country, Djibouti is situated on the western side of the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait, directly opposite Yemen. The Strait measures approximately 28 kilometers at its narrowest point and serves as the sole passageway for cargo ships traveling between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Additionally, due to the presence of the Suez Canal further north in Egypt, the Bab al-Mandab Strait serves as a crucial maritime chokepoint for ships traveling between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, particularly for the global oil and gas industry and the national security of various countries worldwide. As such, the Bab al-Mandab Strait is considered one of the most important geopolitical points in the world.

Although the Red Sea around the Bab al-Mandab Strait has not yielded many oil or gas discoveries, the Persian Gulf region on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula contains the highest concentration of oil and gas reserves in the world, with approximately half of all known oil reserves and a third of current oil production, as well as 40% of known natural gas reserves. These resources are mainly located in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, and include the largest single oil field ever discovered in the world, Ghawar in Saudi Arabia, and the largest single natural gas field ever discovered in the world, North and South Pars in the Gulf. The Persian Gulf is therefore the most important location for energy production, and the eight countries around the Gulf harvest their resources and transport them through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is vulnerable to blockades. The Bab al-Mandab Strait is the quickest and most efficient path for oil and gas to reach Europe from the Gulf, and in 2022, approximately 20% of the European Union's oil imports and 24% of their liquefied natural gas imports came from the Persian Gulf countries delivered via the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal. If either of these routes were obstructed, it would cause a major disruption in the supply chain and significantly impact the economies of these countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, which is defined by its oil production and relies heavily on oil revenues to fund the government's annual budget. The East-West pipeline was constructed to mitigate the risk of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, but even this has come under threat due to the ongoing Civil War in Yemen, the Houthis, a primarily Shia Muslim group, rebelled against the Sunni Muslim and Saudi-backed government in 2014 and quickly gained control of the capital city. The Houthis are believed to have received support from Iran and currently have control over the eastern shore of the Bab al-Madab Strait. If the Houthis were to align themselves with Iran, they could potentially coordinate a joint blockade action with Iran, effectively blocking the Bab al-Madab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz simultaneously. This would prevent Saudi Arabia from exporting oil to major customers in East Asia, forcing them to transport oil via a longer and more limited route through the Suez Canal and around Africa. Saudi Arabia has been attacking and bombing the Houthis for years and is interested in building a military base in Djibouti to respond quickly in case the Bab al-Madab Strait is ever blocked. However, the Bab al-Madab Strait is not just critical for Saudi Arabia's state security. Qatar, with the second-largest natural gas reserves in the world after Russia, is becoming a major supplier of natural gas to Europe as the European Union seeks alternative supplies of gas away from Russia. The easiest and quickest way for Qatari LNG to reach Europe is also through the Bab al-Madab Strait and the Suez Canal, making both routes increasingly important globally. The Bab al-Madab Strait and the Suez Canal have been gaining in importance since early 2018.