Our staff in Djibouti give us an update of the turmoil in their country.

Amidst all the turmoil in the Middle East, our staff in Africa have been holding their breath to see how it affects the countries where they live and work. Our staff in Djibouti, up to this point, have not been impacted by the protests in other countries, but just this past Friday, the REI home team received a new update on protests in Djibouti.

On Thursday, we’d received an email from one staff family that said, “Presidential elections are coming up in April and the current political climate across the entire region is tense, though our country remains calm. We haven’t experienced anything serious but are trying to be more alert and aware. There are occasional riots which include rock-throwing, tire-burning and tear gas but they are contained and don’t involve expatriates like us.”

On Friday, we received an email from another staff member. She says, “As some of you may have see in the online news, there were some protests in the horn of Africa yesterday. They were in the city, while I live in the suburbs. There is high political tension all around the Middle East right now. We are not sure how long the protests will last in our country, but right now that are contained and only minimal damage has been done. The expatriate community is not involved and the embassy is keeping everyone aware.

“Yesterday, we heard about the potential of protests and simply stayed indoors doing work and watching a movie with our neighbors.

“Right now our motto is that ‘it is better to be safe than sorry.’ “

Right now, REI rejoices that our staff members are all safe. Continue to keep the Middle East and REI’s staff members in your thoughts during this turbulent time.

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To read more about the protests in Djibouti, read this BBC article.

Photo taken by Roderick Beidler of Djibouti City, where the protests have occurred.