Qatar withdraws troops from Djibouti-Eritrea border mission

DOHA: Qatar said on Wednesday it had withdrawn its peacekeeping troops from the disputed frontier between Djibouti and Eritrea, after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia and its allies in their standoff with Doha.

“Qatar has been an impartial diplomatic mediator in resolving crises and disputes between brotherly and friendly countries and will continue to be a major player in the international community,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It did not specify the number of troops affected, but said it had informed Djibouti’s government of the withdrawal. According to a UN monitoring group, around 200 Qatari troops were stationed there.

Qatar, which has had close ties with Eritrea, deployed a small contingent of peacekeepers along the border between the Horn of Africa neighbors in 2010 after clashes broke out over disputed territory in June 2008.

Djibouti downgraded ties with Qatar last week, saying it was acting in “solidarity with the international coalition combating terrorism and extremist violence, as well as with the Gulf and Arab countries.”

Eritrea’s Information Ministry said on Monday the decision by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to sever ties was a move “in the right direction.”

It is the second time that Qatari troops have come home since the rift among Gulf states began. A Qatari contingent stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen returned last week. Saudi Arabia said Doha was expelled from the coalition.

Separately, the US ambassador to Qatar said Tuesday she is leaving her post in Doha, in the midst of the diplomatic crisis.

Shell Smith did not say why she was stepping down, if she was staying within the diplomatic service or who would replace her.