Djibouti, a tiny country sandwiched between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, is back in the news for two related reasons. First, reports emerged that the country, which already hosts military bases of the US, France and Japan, is in discussions about China establishing a military base there.
More recently, Djibouti has become the focus of humanitarian efforts during the continuing crisis in Yemen. After the US pulled its diplomats and special forces from Yemen in light of the Houthi advance towards Aden, it relocated the centre of operations across the water to Djibouti. In the past week, as Iran threatened to send warships to escort a ship it said was carrying humanitarian assistance to Yemen, the US suggested the ship dock in Djibouti instead, where the United Nations is active.
All of which points to the source of both the problems and opportunities for Djibouti: geography. Because of its proximity to Yemen, Djibouti’s was a prime destination for Yemenis fleeing the fighting in recent weeks. At the same time, geography also makes it a destination for migrants seeking to leave East Africa. And it is that very position which makes countries so keen to have their military bases there, facing the Red Sea and its vital shipping lanes.
That presents an opportunity for the Arab world, in particular the Gulf. Djibouti is already close to the GCC in proximity and in culture; one of its official languages is Arabic. Closer cooperation could transform Djibouti into something of a neutral zone for the Arabian Peninsula, benefiting both Djibouti and the GCC.
With so much instability around the GCC and the Arabian Peninsula, it is natural for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC to seek something of a firewall around their countries. Djibouti could offer that – perhaps a space where Iranian ships could dock and be checked before moving to Yemen. The country has played an important role in Yemen’s crisis. There is no reason it could not continue to play a vital role for the GCC after this crisis has passed.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
