Protesters rally against government in Djibouti

Protests in the small African nation of Djibouti have been taking place since late January, but are growing amidst the wave of democracy taking over North Africa and the Middle East.  The protesters are calling for the resignation of President Ismail Omar Guelleh, whose family has ruled Djibouti since 1977 when they received independence from France.  Although the protests have been peaceful, it has been reported that the police have responded with tear gas.  Djibouti is actually very important to Western interests as it is home to a French naval base as well as a US naval base (the only one on the African continent), both of which have been crucial in monitoring the Somali pirates.  Djibouti's proximity to the Middle East is also of value, as the US uses it's base to stage attacks on al Qaeda.  It will be interesting to see the US response to these protests considering that, like Egypt and Bahrain, they have serious ties to and interests in Djibouti.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/18/djibouti.protest/index.html

Mark Zajac