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Djibouti PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME: Geography People Government Economy PEOPLE HISTORY It was Rochet d'Hericourt's exploration into Shoa (1839-42) that marked the
beginning of French interest in the African shores of the Red Sea. Further
exploration by Henri Lambert, French Consular Agent at Aden, and Captain
Fleuriot de Langle led to a treaty of friendship and assistance between France
and the sultans of Raheita, Tadjoura, and Gobaad, from whom the French purchased
the anchorage of Obock (1862).
Growing French interest in the area took place against a backdrop of British
activity in Egypt and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. In 1884-85, France
expanded its protectorate to include the shores of the Gulf of Tadjoura and the
Somaliland. Boundaries of the protectorate, marked out in 1897 by France and
Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, were affirmed further by agreements with
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1945 and 1954.
The administrative capital was moved from Obock to Djibouti in 1896.
Djibouti, which has a good natural harbor and ready access to the Ethiopian
highlands, attracted trade caravans crossing East Africa as well as Somali
settlers from the south. The Franco-Ethiopian railway, linking Djibouti to the
heart of Ethiopia, was begun in 1897 and reached Addis Ababa in June 1917,
further facilitating the increase of trade.
During the Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia in the 1930s and
during World War II, constant border skirmishes occurred between French and
Italian forces. The area was ruled by the Vichy (French) government from the
fall of France until December 1942, and fell under British blockade during that
period. Free French and the Allied forces recaptured Djibouti at the end of
1942. A local battalion from Djibouti participated in the liberation of France
in 1944.
On July 22, 1957, the colony was reorganized to give the people considerable
self-government. On the same day, a decree applying the Overseas Reform Act (Loi
Cadre) of June 23, 1956, established a territorial assembly that elected eight
of its members to an executive council. Members of the executive council were
responsible for one or more of the territorial services and carried the title of
minister. The council advised the French-appointed governor general.
In a September 1958 constitutional referendum, French Somaliland opted to
join the French community as an overseas territory. This act entitled the region
to representation by one deputy and one senator in the French Parliament, and
one counselor in the French Union Assembly.
The first elections to the territorial assembly were held on November 23,
1958, under a system of proportional representation. In the next assembly
elections (1963), a new electoral law was enacted. Representation was abolished
in exchange for a system of straight plurality vote based on lists submitted by
political parties in seven designated districts. Ali Aref Bourhan, allegedly of
Turkish origin, was selected to be the president of the executive council.
French President Charles de Gaulle's August 1966 visit to Djibouti was marked by
2 days of public demonstrations by Somalis demanding independence. On September
21, 1966, Louis Saget, appointed governor general of the territory after the
demonstrations, announced the French Government's decision to hold a referendum
to determine whether the people would remain within the French Republic or
become independent. In March 1967, 60% chose to continue the territory's
association with France.
In July of that year, a directive from Paris formally changed the name of the
region to the French Territory of Afars and Issas. The directive also
reorganized the governmental structure of the territory, making the senior
French representative, formerly the governor general, a high commissioner. In
addition, the executive council was redesignated as the council of government,
with nine members.
In 1975, the French Government began to accommodate increasingly insistent
demands for independence. In June 1976, the territory's citizenship law, which
favored the Afar minority, was revised to reflect more closely the weight of the
Issa Somali. The electorate voted for independence in a May 1977 referendum, and
the Republic of Djibouti was established on June 27, 1977. Hassan Gouled Aptidon
became the country’s first president.
GOVERNMENT In early 1992, the government decided to permit multiple party politics and
agreed to the registration of four political parties. By the time of the
national assembly elections in December 1992, only three had qualified. They are
the Rassemblement Populaire Pour le Progres (People's Rally for
Progress) (RPP) which was the only legal party from 1981 until 1992, the Parti
du Renouveau Democratique (The Party for Democratic Renewal)
(PRD), and the Parti National Democratique (National Democratic Party)
(PND). Only the RPP and the PRD contested the national assembly elections, and
the PND withdrew, claiming that there were too many unanswered questions on the
conduct of the elections and too many opportunities for government fraud. The
RPP won all 65 seats in the national assembly, with a turnout of less than 50%
of the electorate.
In 1999, President Hassan Gouled Aptidon’s chief of staff, head of
security, and key advisor for over 20 years, Ismail Omar Guelleh was elected to
the Presidency as the RPP candidate. He received 74% of the vote, the other 26%
going to opposition candidate Moussa Ahmed Idriss, of the Unified Djiboutian
Opposition (ODU). For the first time since independence, no group boycotted the
election. Moussa Ahmed Idriss and the ODU later challenged the results based on
election "irregularities" and the assertion that
"foreigners" had voted in various districts of the capital; however,
international and locally based observers considered the election to be
generally fair, and cited only minor technical difficulties. Ismail Omar Guelleh
took the oath of office as the second President of the Republic of Djibouti on
May 8, 1999, with the support of an alliance between the RPP and the
government-recognized section of the Afar-led FRUD.
Currently, political power is shared by a Somali president and an Afar prime
minister, with cabinet posts roughly divided. However, it is the Issas who
presently dominate the government, civil service, and the ruling party, a
situation that has bred resentment and political competition between the Somali
Issas and the Afars.
In early November 1991, civil war erupted in Djibouti between the government
and a predominantly Afar rebel group, the Front for the Restoration of Unity and
Democracy (FRUD). The FRUD signed a peace accord with the government in December
1994, ending the conflict. Two FRUD members were made cabinet members, and in
the presidential elections of 1999 the FRUD campaigned in support of the RPP. In
February 2000, another branch of FRUD signed a peace accord with the government.
On May 12, 2001, President Ismail Omar Guelleh presided over the signing of
what is termed the final peace accord officially ending the decade-long civil
war between the government and the armed faction of the FRUD. The peace accord
successfully completed the peace process begun on February 7, 2000 in Paris.
Ahmed Dini Ahmed represented the FRUD.
Djibouti has its own armed forces, including a small army, which has grown
significantly since the start of the civil war. In recent years the armed force
has downsized and with the peace accord with the FRUD in 2001, the armed forces
are expected to continue its downsizing. The country's security also is
supplemented by a special security arrangement with the Government of France.
France maintains one of its largest military bases outside France in Djibouti.
There are some 2,600 French troops, which includes a unit of the French Foreign
Legion, stationed in Djibouti.
The right to own property is respected in Djibouti. The government has
reorganized the labor unions. While there have been open elections of union
leaders, the Government of Djibouti is working with the ILO to hold new
elections.
Although women in Djibouti enjoy a higher public status than in many other
Islamic countries, women's rights and family planning face difficult challenges,
many stemming from poverty. Few women hold senior positions. Education of girls
still lags behind boys and, because of the high unemployment rate, employment
opportunities are better for male applicants.
Principal Government Officials Djibouti's mission to the UN is located at 866 UN Plaza, Suite 4011, New
York, NY 10017 (tel. 212-753-3163). Djibouti's embassy in Washington is located
at Suite 515, 1156 15th Street, NW, ECONOMY Djibouti's most important economic asset is its strategic location on the
shipping routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean--the Republic
lies on the west side of the Bab-el-Mandeb, which connects the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aden. Its port is an important transshipment point for containers. It
also functions as a bunkering port and a small French naval facility. Business
increased at Djibouti port when hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia denied
Ethiopia access to the Eritrean port of Assab. Djibouti became the only
significant port for landlocked Ethiopia, handling all its imports and exports,
including huge shipments of U.S. food aid in 2000 during the drought and famine.
In 2000, Jebel Ali Port Mangers, who manage the port of Dubai, took over
management of Djibouti’s port. This was part of a regional management scheme
that also included the port of Beirut. As a result, the Port of Djibouti has
increased its efficiency and is positioned to be a major port and transshipment
port for the Red Sea.
The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad is the only line serving central and
southeastern Ethiopia. The single-track railway--a prime source of
employment--occupies a prominent place in Ethiopia's internal distribution
system for domestic commodities such as cement, cotton textiles, sugar, cereals
and charcoal.
Principal exports from the region transiting Djibouti are coffee, salt,
hides, dried beans, cereals, other agricultural products, wax and salt. Djibouti
itself has few exports, and the majority of its imports come from France. Most
imports are consumed in Djibouti, and the remainder goes to Ethiopia and
northwestern Somalia. Djibouti's unfavorable balance of trade is offset
partially by invisible earnings such as transit taxes and harbor dues. In 1999,
U.S. exports to Djibouti totaled $26.7 million while U.S. imports from Djibouti
were less than $100,000.
The city of Djibouti has the only paved airport in the republic. Djibouti has
one of the most liberal economic regimes in Africa, with almost unrestricted
banking and commerce sectors.
FOREIGN RELATIONS Djibouti is greatly affected by events in Somalia and Ethiopia, and therefore
relations are important and, at times, very delicate. The fall of the Siad Barre
and Mengistu governments in Somalia and Ethiopia, respectively, in 1991, caused
Djibouti to face national security threats due to the instability in the
neighboring states and a massive influx of refugees estimated at 100,000 from
Somalia and Ethiopia. In 2000, after 3 years of insufficient rain, 50,000
drought victims entered Djibouti. In 1996 a revitalized organization of seven
East African states, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
established its secretariat in Djibouti. IGAD’s mandate is for regional
cooperation and economic integration. In 1991 and 2000, Djibouti played a key
role in the search for peace in Somalia by hosting Somali Reconciliation
Conferences. In the summer of 2000, Djibouti hosted the Arta Conference which
brought together various Somali clans and warlords. Djibouti's efforts to
promote reconciliation in Somalia led to the establishment of the Transitional
National Government (TNG) in Somalia. Djibouti hopes the TNG can form the basis
for bringing peace and stability to Somalia.
With the Ethiopia-Eritrea war of 2000, Ethiopia channeled most of its trade
through Djibouti. Though Djibouti is nominally neutral, it broke off relations
with Eritrea in November 1998, renewing relations in 2000. Eritrea's President
Isaias visited Djibouti in early 2001 and President Ismail Omar Guelleh made a
reciprocal visit to Asmara in the early summer of 2001. While Djibouti’s
President Ismail Omar Guelleh has close ties with Ethiopia’s ruling Ethiopian
People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), he has tried to maintain an
even hand, developing relations with Eritrea.
U.S.-DJIBOUTIAN RELATIONS Djibouti has allowed the U.S. military, as well as other nations, access to
its port and airport facilities. The Djiboutian Government has generally been
supportive of U.S. and Western interests, as was demonstrated during the Gulf
crisis of 1990-91. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Djibouti
quickly supported international efforts to fight terrorism. As a victim of past
international terrorist attacks, President Ismail Omar Guelleh took a very
proactive position among Arab League members to support coalition efforts.
Principal U.S. Officials The U.S. embassy in Djibouti is located at Villa Plateau du Serpent, Blvd.
Marechal Joffre (Boite Postal 185), Djibouti (tel. 253 35-39-95; fax 253
35-39-40).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport information can be obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center's automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648). It also is available on the internet. Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. |
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