French hand over ‘coup’ leader

General Yacin Yabeh Gaab, the former commander of the Djibouti police force, whose sacking reportedly sparked the attempted coup in Djibouti last Thursday, has been handed over to the Djibouti government by the French military, a local journalist told IRIN on Monday. Baab, who had sought refuge in the French military base, was handed over on Saturday and wass now being held at the headquarters of the paramilitary gendarmerie in Djibouti city, the source said. No charges have been filed against the general, adding that there were “behind the scenes discussions going on to lower the tension”, IRIN was told. “There has definitely been a toning down of the rhetoric since the handover,” the journalist said.