Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry started Monday an African tour to Djibouti and Uganda, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Egyptian minister will discuss the situation in Djibouti and the Horn of Africa in terms of development and stability with their counterparts. Djibouti has a population of about 800 thousand people. It gained its independence from France in 1977 and joined the Arab League in the same year, according to Al Ahram. Shoukry is also scheduled to hold talks with his Djiboutian counterpart, Mohamoud Ali Yusuf to discuss boosting bilateral relations and Egypt's role to support development in the country. The topics of discussion will include the situation in the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, in addition to methods to "confront current challenges" in this area. Shoukry will visit Uganda on the last leg of his African tour where he will meet his Ugandan counterpart Okello Oyrem to discuss ways to improve bilateral relations in the coming period.