REI staff report that things have calmed in Djibouti.

Last week, the REI home team received the startling news from our staff that Djibouti, like most countries in the Middle East, was beginning to experience pangs of uprising. With presidential elections on the horizon (set for April), the political climate had become tense in the region, with small protests erupting in Djibouti City’s suburbs. However, we had heard that all of our staff were still safe and that they weren’t concerned that their safety would be threatened.

On Saturday, we received a report from staff that Djibouti has calmed. There had been rumors that strikes would come from last Saturday (February 19) through Friday (February 25), but they remained rumors and none of the strikes occurred.

One staff member says, “When talking to my friends about the strikes, almost all of them said, ‘We just want peace and milk.’ Most people don’t want to break the status quo because [they know] things could be worse.”

So far, REI’s staff in Jordan and Djibouti have been kept safe. However, please continue to keep the rest of the Middle East in your thoughts!