Djibouti drone attack kills eight rebels: govt

Djibouti security forces launched a drone attack near the Ethiopian border, killing eight members of a rebel group and an unknown number of civilians, authorities said Sunday.

"A drone attack was carried out against a terrorist group at Addorta, a Djiboutian locality some six kilometres (3.7 miles) from the border with Ethiopia," the defence ministry stated.

"Eight terrorists were neutralised," the ministry said. It added that "collateral damage was unfortunately reported among Djiboutian civilians" but did not give details.

The Horn of Africa state announced it had opened an investigation, adding the rebels had been engaged in "hostile actions" which constituted "a potential threat to our advanced posts".

Questioned by AFP, Alexis Mohamed, an advisor to Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh, said the militants were members of the Armed Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD A), which Djibouti considers a terrorist group.

Ethiopian daily Addis Standard reported the drone attack took place on the Ethiopian side, which Djibouti rejected. Mohamed insisted the attack was on Djibouti territory.

Ethiopian authorities did not immediately respond to AFP requests to comment.

In October 2022, seven soldiers were killed, and six kidnapped, in an attack on their barracks at Garabtisan, north of Djibouti, which authorities blamed on FRUD. The kidnapped soldiers were released several weeks later.

Recruited from the Afar community in northern Djibouti, FRUD launched an anti-government rebellion in 1991, claiming to defend Afar interests against the Issas, the country's other main ethnic community.

The group later split. While FRUD is part of a four-party coalition backing President Guelleh, its armed wing FRUD A continues to carry out attacks.

Located on one of the world's busiest shipping routes, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti hosts important US military and French military bases.