Qatari troops recalled from Eritrea-Djibouti border

In a surprise announcement on 14 June, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha said it had withdrawn its troops deployed on the border between Eritrea and Djibouti. Underlining the extent that Qatar and other Gulf states have become significant players in East Africa, the move quickly triggered a crisis. On 16 June, Djiboutian foreign minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said Eritrean troops had seized the contested Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island areas, and his country’s military was on alert.