Re-elected for a fifth term in April 2021, Guelleh has ruled Djibouti since 1999 and has used his country’s unique position on the Horn of Africa to lure investors and foreign military powers, all while keeping an iron grip on power. (Photo by Eric Feferberg / AFP)
Djibouti has named a new foreign minister to succeed Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, who was elected as head of the African Union in February, according to a presidential decree published Tuesday.
Abdoulkader Houssein Omar, a former ambassador to Kuwait and Jordan, was appointed minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, replacing Youssouf who served in the position for almost 20 years.
“We are not talking about a ministerial reshuffle, this is the only change within the government,” Alexis Mohamed, a spokesman for the Djibouti presidency, told AFP.
The decree was signed by President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been in power since 1999 and is expected to be replaced in the next scheduled presidential election in 2026.
The tiny coastal nation of Djibouti has only around one million citizens but plays a key strategic role in the region.
Positioned at the mouth of the Red Sea in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait — one of the world’s busiest trade routes — it serves as a rare island of stability in a volatile region, directly across from Yemen.
The country hosts military bases for France, the former colonial power, as well as the United States and China, reflecting its growing geopolitical importance.
