US, Djibouti reach 10-year security agreement
WASHINGTON (TNN):-The Obama administration has finalized a 10-year
agreement with Djibouti to keep U.S. troops at a military base in
the East African nation that houses sp ecial forces and serves as a
launching point for drones.
"This is a critical facility that we maintain in Djibouti,"
President Barack Obama said Mon day during an Oval Office meeting
with Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh. "We co uld not do it
without the president's cooperation. We're grateful for him agreeing
for a long-term presence there."
Djibouti, a tiny nation of less than 1 million people, has become a
linchpin of U.S. anti-t errorism efforts in Africa and the Middle
East. The U.S. military base Camp Lemonnier houses conventional
forces, as well as special forces and aerial drones believed to be
flown over Yemen and Somalia.
An administration official said the new $63 million per year lease
would allow the U.S. to keep personnel and equipment at the camp for
10 more years. The agreement includes an option to extend the lease
for an additional 10 years without renegotiating the ter ms, as well
as a provision to extend for an additional 10 years beyond that at a
renego tiated rate, according to the official.
The official insisted on anonymity because this person was not
authorized to discuss th e agreement publicly by name.
The terms of the lease indicate that the U.S. is likely to maintain
a long-term military pr esence in Djibouti. Camp Lemonnier is the
only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa.
Guelleh said his country's arrangement with U.S. forces is a sign of
Djibouti's "support f or international peace and for peace in our
region as well."
Source : AP
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