Having just arrived in Djibouti after an overnight flight, the 160 or so auditors were welcomed by the military on the Heron peninsula, one of the French army's outposts in the country, under the terms of the Defence Cooperation Treaty (DCT) renewed for 20 years in July 2024. Once at the hotel, two authorities, French Ambassador Dana Purcarescu and Air Force Major General Sébastien Vallette, Commander of the French Forces stationed in Djibouti (FFDj), gave them an overview of the Djibouti context and the rich bilateral relationship between the two countries.
After this role-play, they boarded GBC all-terrain trucks for a French army bivouac in the mountains. After sharing regional specialities with the soldiers and singing songs by the fire, their short night ended with the sound of a bugle. In the light of the rising sun, the Djiboutian and French colours were hoisted on the camp's flagpole, under the command of Lieutenant General Hervé de Courrèges, Director of the IHEDN.
This was the start of a day they would remember, a day of presentations of the capabilities of the FFDj. A "Marine" display to begin with, in which they saw Green Berets from the Jaubert marine commando of the Force maritime des fusiliers marins et commandos (FORFUSCO) carrying out the (fictitious) liberation of a hostage in conjunction with personnel from the Djibouti national gendarmerie intervention group (GIGN). In addition to the helicopters dropping off the special forces and extracting the hostage, a Mirage flies over the group as if to "intimidate" the enemy. French paratroopers have already jumped into the sea in real-life conditions, notably to free the hostages aboard the Ponant (2008) and the Tanit (2009) in the Gulf of Aden.
SPEAKERS FROM DJIBOUTI, FRANCE, JAPAN...
This was followed by two Army demonstrations: a static one, during which the audience had plenty of time to ask the soldiers questions about the use of their equipment, and then a dynamic one, under realistic conditions, since the manoeuvre, which took place several kilometres below the spectators, used live ammunition. Both presentations are given by the 5e overseas inter-army regiment (5e RIOM), a Troupes de Marine unit that brings together different arms: infantry, artillery, cavalry, engineers and light aviation, with some soldiers coming from the Foreign Legion. Caesar guns, reconnaissance and manoeuvre helicopters, AMX-10 tanks, VABs and VBLs are all used.
After another ride in the GBC, the audience is treated to the last scene of the day, that of the French Air and Space Force (AAE) in the Grand Bara desert in the south of the country. As the sun declines, they see an Airbus Military CN-235 medium-lift parachuting commandos and cargo, a Puma helicopter recovering the special forces, and Mirage 2000-5s carrying out various manoeuvres, including a demonstration of air superiority.
The morning of the following day was devoted to a number of lectures, the first on "Economic challenges and prospects in the Republic of Djibouti", with Ahmed Osman Ali, Governor of the Central Bank of Djibouti, Abdillahi Adaweh Sigad, Managing Director of the Société de gestion du terminal à conteneurs de Doraleh (SGTD) and Sébastien Nahon, Managing Director of the Banque pour le commerce et l'industrie - mer rouge (BCIMR). The second round table focused on "Strategic issues in the Horn of Africa: Djibouti in its regional and international environment", with José Barahona, UN Resident Coordinator in Djibouti, and Mohamed Jalludin, Director General of the Djibouti Centre for Studies and Research (CERD). Lastly, the conference on "The major challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region as seen from Djibouti" will be addressed by Hiroyuki Oshima, Chargé d'Affaires at the Japanese Embassy in Djibouti, and, by videoconference, Marc Abensour, French Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific.
This was followed by themed lunches, including one with Djibouti's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and others focusing on space (Djibouti recently sent satellites into orbit), strategy in the Indian Ocean and Djibouti's International School for Advanced Training in the Practice of Judicial Police (EI3PJ).
Before a fascinating closing lecture given by Ambassador Purcarescu and General Vallette, who answered many questions from the audience, the rest of this very rich study mission was devoted to various visits: the Doraleh container terminal, the US military base, the Japanese military base, the Eiffage desalination plant, the EI3PJ, the Djibouti Institute for Diplomatic Studies, the AAE air base 188 and the French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) detachment, the Joint Command Post and the Languedoc multi-mission frigate (FREMM).
