Djibouti votes in a presidential election on Friday expected to extend President Ismail Omar Guelleh’s 27-year rule, as the strategically located country hosts major foreign military bases and sits on a key global shipping route under pressure from regional conflict.
Guelleh, 78, is set to extend his 27-year rule in a country that sits at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, where tensions linked to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran have raised security concerns.
The country’s strategic position has also drawn foreign military powers.
France, the United States, China, Japan and Italy all have bases there, with the US operating its only permanent base in Africa to support operations on the continent.
Just over 256,000 people are eligible to vote in the former French colony, choosing between Guelleh and Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party who now leads the Unified Democratic Centre, a party with no seats in parliament.
Omar Ali Ewado, head of the Djibouti League of Human Rights, called the vote a “masquerade” and said it is a “foregone conclusion”. “The person who will challenge President Guelleh is a member of a small party subservient to those in power,” he said.
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Limited competition
Guelleh is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. He won re-election in 2021 with 97 percent of the vote in a ballot largely boycotted by the opposition, which had said that would be his final term.
Last October, parliament removed the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates, allowing him to run again.
“There's not much at stake,” said Sonia le Gouriellec, a Horn of Africa expert at Lille Catholic University. “It's just a token competition.”
Human rights organisations accuse the government of repressing dissent. Djibouti ranks 168th out of 180 in the 2025 press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders.
Guelleh is also accused of favouring his Issa ethnic group over the minority Afar, who say they are marginalised.
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Strategic crossroads
In a volatile region, Guelleh presents himself as a guarantor of stability in a country bordered by Ethiopia and Eritrea, long-time rivals.
Djibouti lies near Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic whose independence from Somalia is recognised only by Israel.
The United Arab Emirates, which Djibouti accuses of destabilising the Horn of Africa, is believed by some experts to have backed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a claim it denies.
Djibouti relies heavily on its ports, which account for 70 percent of its economy, and serves as Ethiopia’s main access to the sea.
(with newswires)
