Djibouti’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, dismissed reports suggesting President Ismail Omar Guelleh was critically ill after being hospitalized on Saturday.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dawaleh confirmed that President Guelleh is in good health but has an issue with his right knee. He condemned the rumours about the president’s condition, calling out those spreading false information.
“Sorry haters, President Ismail is doing well, and very well, in fact. One can dislike a leader without falling into hatred and slander, even going so far as to wish death upon another Muslim. Yes, he has an issue with his right knee, so what? He is, first and foremost, a human being like you and me. Shame on the prophets of doom,” Dawaleh wrote.
Social media reports had claimed the president was flown to Paris due to a critical illness, with internet outages in Djibouti allegedly aimed at preventing the spread of news about his condition.
President Guelleh, who has led Djibouti since 1999, was notably absent from the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which many other African leaders attended.
