The closer we get to departure, the more I believe in the Horn of Africa story. I don’t seem to be the only one. The base, open in 2003, is gaining interest. In a recent visit to Djibouti, Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of the US Centcom, said he sees the work done in this region as a “blueprint” for the future.

Think about it; to assure stability in the Horn of Africa, 1,500 troops have been sent to cover a region about three-quarters the size of the US. Beyond the "assure stability" mission, there are a variety of things being done by the US military in the region: from healing diarrhea to renovating schools, digging wells and…keeping an eye on what’s going on on the other side, an hour away by ferry, in the neighboring Yemen. Remember 2002. Six suspected members of Al Qaeda in Yemen were killed by an American missile launched from Djibouti.
Since then, there have been arrests in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and also Yemen. The arrests involved “operators, planners, financiers or supporters,” of terrorist operations. I am really interested in knowing more about this and especially on the level of cooperation between countries. We’re working on that.

Najlae Benmbarek/TV Lab

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