France warns neighbours, “particularly Eritrea”

French army chief General Jean-Pierre Kelche has told Djibouti’s neighbours, “particularly Eritrea”, that France fully supports Djibouti’s territorial integrity. In a recent interview with Radio France Internationale, Kelche said Djibouti was not involved in the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the fact Ethiopia had access to Djibouti’s port did not mean the country was fighting alongside Addis Ababa. “We want Djibouti’s neighbours to know that we are behind Djibouti as far as its territorial integrity is concerned,” said Kelche who recently visited Djibouti. “We told them they cannot use Djibouti territory as a battlefield”. The radio noted that France will deploy a total of 2,500 soldiers in Djibouti.