Maybe some readers, seeing Djibouti just as a small speck on the map of Africa, will be surprised to know that its area is 2000 km² larger than that of the state of Israel (more or less that of Lombardy, for our Italian friends).

I have theories, although I didnt dwell on them in the story because its mostly speculation, but the Afar-Somali conflict is one that plagues both Ethiopia and Djibouti. And Djibouti, where the Afar are largely on the periphery of power, is believed to back Somali forces in Ethiopia as well. In the context of that broader conflict, this may have been a revenge strike for battlefield losses.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afar–Somali_clashes

I would like to follow.
Thank you for your important work

@futureisfoss @thomasjwebb

I'm also curious about this....

Sorry for the length. As always, I'm especially grateful for the kind feedback from the fediverse family. Thank you for your time and for caring about stories from my corner of the world.

Cheers,
ZZ.

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She's a survivor and a brave woman.

Double whammy.

But you have to admit, it looks pretty funny and peculiar in hindsight, how major French state backed media were very prompt to produce headlines placing the strike zone a full 8km away from where it actually happened, and depict the dead as FRUD rebels.

A French Foreign Ministry official told me on Friday that he would try his "best to respond as quickly as possible" to my queries.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Did French forces play a role, either monitoring or assisting in some capacity, the Djiboutian air force as it piloted Turkish Bayrakar TB2 drones into what we now know is Ethiopian territory to carry out a civilian massacre?

Is there possible complicity & to what extent if so?

Were French authorities/forces in Djibouti notified in advance about Djibouti's planned mission on 30/1/25 and if so, what were they told about it?

French military presence in Djibouti overseeing airspace surveillance suggests that it's highly unlikely that France had absolutely no knowledge of a deadly Bayraktar TB2 drone crossing international frontiers, possibly multiple times over the course of hours...on its watch on 30/1/25

France may have been attempting to renew its agreement with Djibouti. But that doesn't mean it didn't already have one. Since 1991, France has had an agreement giving it responsibility for the safety and surveillance of Djiboutian airspace and waters, as is indicated on the website of France's Assemble Nationale.

As part of his efforts to gain influence in East Africa, Macron has agreed to millions in investments in Ethiopia, and done much to rehabilitate the image of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, after years of accusations of war crimes and genocide.

All in all...Paris, Addis Ababa and Djibouti all wanted Siyaru to go away.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/frances-macron-backs-ethiopias-debt-restructuring-efforts-2024-12-21/

Djibouti was likely afraid that if the extent of its abuses became widely known, opposition in French parliament could grow and threaten a hugely lucrative arrangement.

Macron was probably worried that if the news of Djiboutian atrocities created enough opposition to the deal...France faced the possibility of withdrawing its troops, which would geopolitically weaken an already weak France in Africa.

But he was blocked.

A number of fringe French MPs, including anti-colonial leftists & communists demanded there be additional review/parliamentary discussion.

French media "Africa Intelligence" reports this was the result of robust lobbying by Djiboutian Afar activists.

A major sticking point according to the report? Allegations of a Djibouti drone civilian massacre

https://www.africaintelligence.com/eastern-africa-and-the-horn/2025/05/20/communist-group-puts-brakes-on-military-cooperation-treaty-in-french-senate,110453113-art