Ethiopia: WFP, Company Sign Accord On Handling Commodities Through Djibouti Port (AllAfrica.com)

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it has signed on Thursday a unique agreement with SDTV (Societe Djiboutienne De Gestion Du Terminal Varaquer) to enhance its handling of food commodities through the port of Djibouti.

Somalia: Djibouti Finance Minister Visiting Somaliland (AllAfrica.com)

A high-level delegation from the government of the Republic of Djibouti began an official three-day visit on Saturday to Hargeisa, capital of Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland.

Pirates' luxury lifestyles on lawless coast (CNN)

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women -- even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

Hard times in rural Ethiopia - Jane Beesley (AlertNet)

Oxfam GB - UK Worsening drought and high food prices are pushing many families in Ethiopia to the brink. Humanitarian Communications Officer Jane Beesley reports. Afar, close to the Eritrea and Djibouti borders in Ethiopia, is dry and hot. It’s one of those places where extremes exist, bizarre juxtapositions. Cutting through the landscape is one of the best roads [...]

Navies May Get Tougher on Piracy After Tanker Seizure (Update2) (Bloomberg)

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The seizure of a Saudi oil supertanker by Somali pirates may push Western navies to step up their actions against hijackers, military experts said.

War on terror's hidden front (Chicago Tribune)

U.S. military quietly trying to wage peace in Africa After seven years of confronting Islamic militancy with combat, the Pentagon is hoping to apply an innovative, soft-power approach in Africa. The Tribune's Paul Salopek reports from Djibouti.

World grapples with pirate problem (Los Angeles Times)

Nations and shipping companies have different takes on how to battle piracy at sea. The Saudis chose to negotiate. The Indian navy opened fire. The U.S. navy said shipping companies should do more to protect their vessels, and the ship owners said governments should guard the high seas.

Weekly Edition, Djibouti - Week of November 17, 2008 (ArabicNews.com)

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Booming Pirate Economy Transforms Somali Villages (Fox News)

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, pirates have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

The jolly life of a pirate ring (Asia Times)

With a reported nine commercial ships hijacked over the past 12 days - including a spectacular strike on a Saudi Arabian oil supertanker - the world has become captivated by pirates.