Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 - Djibouti

Overview: Djibouti remained an active and cooperative counterterrorism partner in 2013. Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, which serves as headquarters to the U.S. Africa Command's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. Enhancing the capacity of its law enforcement agencies and deploying soldiers to the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were the focus of Djibouti's efforts to counter terrorism in 2013. Djibouti received significant capacity building assistance in the way of counterterrorism training and equipment provided by the United States through a variety of courses and programs.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Due to its geographic location and porous borders, counterterrorism remained a high priority for all Djiboutian law enforcement entities. Djibouti has a legal framework for prosecuting terrorism-related crimes and tries terrorists in criminal courts using its penal code. In 2013, Djibouti did not prosecute any terrorism-related cases.

Djibouti's most visible counterterrorism efforts were ad hoc checkpoints and cordon-and-search operations within the capital city, and an increased emphasis at border control points to screen for potential security threats. In April, Djibouti amended its Technical Committee in charge of the Fight against Terrorism, created in October 2001, by adding an eighth member from the Coast Guard.

Djibouti continued to process travelers on entry and departure at its international airport and seaport with the Personal Identification Secure Comparison Evaluation System (PISCES). While the airport and seaport are important entry points, the vast majority of travelers cross into Djibouti by land at one of three land border points, including one point on the Somali border.

Djiboutian law enforcement personnel acknowledged the difficulty of securing the coast and land borders; however, the Djiboutian Coast Guard's capacity to patrol the coastline was significantly increased by the donation of two patrol boats by the Japanese government, and a U.S.-funded 33-foot patrol boat. The U.S. government also provided a consultation on Maritime Movement Operations through the U.S. Department of State's Antiterrorism Assistance program to augment law enforcement's ability to patrol its waters. With such training, the new vessels have enhanced the capacity of the Coast Guard, and the U.S.-funded patrol boat has significantly extended the range of coastline that the Coast Guard can patrol. Patrolling the land borders, however, remained a concern. The Djiboutian National Police has control over border checkpoints, and the Djibouti Armed Forces was responsible for patrolling the border. Officials at Djiboutian National Police-manned checkpoints were susceptible to bribes.

Following the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, the Government of Djibouti enhanced its protection of potential soft targets throughout the country. While the ability of Djibouti to protect these sites over the long-term will be a challenge, the Djiboutian National Police and Gendarmerie have done an admirable job of developing plans to protect popular hotels and stores in Djibouti City. In 2013, the Government of Djibouti's ability to respond to a terrorist attack, specifically an improvised explosive device, was significantly enhanced. The Djiboutian National Police and Gendarmes received post-blast investigations training from the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, as well as from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Djibouti received significant law enforcement counterterrorism capacity building through the ATA program, including training and equipment on border security issues, leadership and management, and crisis response issues.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Djibouti's request for observer status at the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force remained pending at year's end. The country plays an important role regionally and has a more developed formal financial sector than some of its neighbors.

The Central Bank of Djibouti houses a financial intelligence unit (FIU), known as the Fraud Investigation Unit. Given its very limited resources including lack of staff, the FIU is unable to perform its core functions and instead focuses on banking supervision. The FIU has made no case referrals to law enforcement involving suspected terrorist financing. In March, FIU staff attended two trainings related to regulatory supervision: "Security in the Gulf of Aden" held in Yemen and "Global Counterterrorism" held in Ethiopia. In addition, FIU staff participated in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Security Sector Program held in April to harmonize counterterrorism laws among IGAD's eight East African country members.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: Djibouti is a member of the AU and has deployed troops to AMISOM. In April, Djibouti sent a delegation to Sanaa, Yemen, for the Gulf of Aden Counterterrorism Forum – a regional meeting that brings together counterterrorism officials from Djibouti, Somalia, and Yemen to discuss shared challenges. Djibouti is a member of the Partnership for Regional East Africa Counterterrorism.

Countering Radicalization to Violence and Violent Extremism: Most of the Government of Djibouti's strategic communications efforts are focused on youth. In response to a growing youth violence problem, members of Parliament and representatives of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs held monthly meetings in Djibouti's low-income neighborhoods. The Ministry of Youth and Sports organized sports leagues to engage youth in positive activities.