[AFP]Djibouti's leader Ismail Omar Guelleh is expected to win a presidential election on Friday, extending his 27-year rule of the tiny, highly strategic Horn of Africa nation. It's just a token competition," said Sonia le Gouriellec, a Horn of Africa expert at Lille Catholic University. France's biggest military base in Africa, counting some 1,500 soldiers, is in Djibouti, while China, Japan and Italy have troops in the country too. That was meant to be his final term but parliament voted to remove the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates. Asked whether Guelleh, who has difficulty walking, will see out his sixth mandate, Le Gouriellec said it depended on his health.

Source: Daily Nation April 08, 2026 07:39 UTC