US gets new 10-year lease on military base in Djibouti

The United States secured a 10-year lease for a military base in Djibouti that it uses to launch counterterrorism missions, including drone strikes, in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

US President Barack Obama and his Djiboutian counterpart, Ismail Omar Guelleh, announced the renewed lease on Camp Lemonnier as they met at the White House on Monday, vowing to counter al-Qaeda and al-Shabab militants in the region.

Under the agreement, the United States would pay US$63 million annually for a 10-year lease, with an option to extend the arrangement for another decade, administration officials said.

The new deal represents a major increase in rent, as Washington reportedly pays US$38 million a year under the current lease.

"Camp Lemonnier is extraordinarily important to our work throughout the Horn of Africa but also throughout the region. We very much appreciate the hospitality that Djiboutians provide," Obama said.

"Overall, this is a critical facility that we maintain in Djibouti, we could not do it without the president's co-operation, we're grateful for him agreeing for a long-term presence there." he added.

Guelleh said his East African country and the US were linked in a "strategic partnership" to deal with "the fight against terrorism, piracy and human trafficking in our region".