EASF Director Calls on Commander of French Forces in Djibouti

In a series of successful scheduled meetings during the 2nd week of 2018, the EASF Director Dr Abdillahi Omar Bouh called on the Commander of French Forces in Djibouti, Major General Thierry Duquenoy, on Sunday the 21st January 2018.

The purpose of the visit was to extensively explore possible areas of collaboration in peace and security matters in the Eastern Africa region.

France has been an ardent supporter of EASF's capacity building activities for a number of years and has had an office at the Secretariat in Karen, Nairobi. The country has provided technical advisory and financial support to the regional peace-keeper ever since the last decade.   

France maintains a strong troops' presence in Djibouti as part of a security force. The French forces in Djibouti have taken part in operations in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and West Africa at large. France has a large military presence spread across five countries in West Africa — Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad — as part of Operation Burkhane. Based in Chad, the operation aims at disrupting potential militants threat across the Sahel region of the continent.

During the visit, Dr. Bouh was accompanied by his Military Assistant, Lieutenant Colonel David Chesire.