Saudi Arabia to establish military base in Djibouti

Saudi Arabia is to establish a military base in Djibouti at a strategic point linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden as Djibouti is finalizing an agreement with Saudi Arabia to allow the Gulf state to build a military base in the Horn of Africa nation.

Riyadh's move aims to take a more assertive approach to regional security, according to the Financial Times.

At the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, where Saudi Arabia is to establish a military base, France, United States, Italy and Japan already have bases.

The country with a population of 830,000 and 23,000 square kilometers of land has a strategic significance due to being a frequent destination of merchant ships.

Last year, China and Djibouti also agreed on the establishment of a military base and the base is scheduled to be established this year.

Riyadh is leading a coalition fighting Houthis in Yemen, which lies across the Red Sea from Djibouti.

Saudi Arabia backs forces loyal to the Yemen government, which control Aden and other parts of southern Yemen.

Al-Qaeda and Daesh have been conducting attacks since the beginning of the violent conflict, as the head of the CIA, John Brennan, said in September that the two are working together in Yemen.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country, forcing members of Yemen's Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

The conflict escalated in March of last year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Muslim allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains in Yemen and restoring the country's embattled government.