The tiny African nation of Djibouti is the unsung hero in the United States’ ongoing war against terror and piracy. A few security scares notwithstanding—the U.S. embassy was briefly closed earlier this month for unexplained reasons—the country is a rare oasis of stability in the Horn of Africa. Camp Lemonnier hosts U.S. Special Forces, fighter planes, and helicopters, and is a major base for drone operations in Yemen and Somalia. Small wonder that Washington recently renewed its lease on the base for ten years (with an option to extend for another ten), even though Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh nearly doubled the rent.Mapbox

The United States’ ... Read more »

Yemen's Houthi rebels have advanced towards Aden, where President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been holed up since fleeing the capital Sanaa last month.

Before moving closer to the coastal city on Wednesday, rebels seized an airbase that until a few days ago was used by US troops deployed in the fight against al-Qaeda. 

The al-Anad base, 60km from Aden, had since been occupied by Yemeni government forces. 

The advance of the Houthis threatens to plunge the Arab world's poorest country into a civil war that could draw in its Gulf neighbours. Already, Hadi has asked the UN to authorise a foreign military intervention in the country.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ryiad Yassin ... Read more »