Djibouti was originally inhabited by nomadic tribes, the main ones being the Afars and the Issas, who are strongly linked to Ethiopia and Somalia respectively. In 1862, the French signed a treaty with the Afar leaders, giving them land on the north coast. During the rest of the 19th century, Djibouti gradually became more firmly associated with France. In 1915, a railway was completed from Djibouti to Addis Ababa. In 1945, French Somaliland (as the area was called) was declared an ‘overseas territory’ and in 1967, it became the French territory of the ‘Afars and Issas’. Tensions between the Afars,
the Issas and the French led to sporadic outbreaks of violence during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1977, the French agreed to withdraw and the country achieved independence with Hassan Gouled Aptidon as president.
A sizeable French military presence in the country guaranteed the Gouled regime, which was threatened by organized opposition – both inside the country and abroad – and by the instability of its larger neighbors, Somalia and Ethiopia and, later on, Eritrea. In 1991, Afar tribesmen launched a major assault on the regime, under the rubric of Le Front pour la Restauration de l’Unité et la Démocratie (FRUD). After two years of fighting, the rebellion was put down by the government with French support and, in May 1993, Gouled was re-elected as president. After a major split within FRUD, part of the movement formed an alliance with the government and the ruling Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progrès (RPP). The current premier, who took office in 2001, is Mohammed Dileita.
Gouled resigned in the spring of 1999 after 22 years in office and shortly before the most recent presidential election. Gouled’s nephew and former security chief, Ismail Omar Guelleh, replaced him and comfortably won the April 1999 poll. Apart from a failed coup in December 2000 – orchestrated by a disaffected former police chief – Djibouti has since enjoyed a welcome spell of domestic calm. The most recent national assembly poll in April 2003 returned the ruling coalition once again with Dileita still at the head of the government. In April 2005, Guelleh won a second-term in a one-man presidential election. In his campaign he promised to deal with poverty and reduce the country's dependence on imported food. Guellah is due to step down at the end of this term.
Abroad, Djibouti has used its small, independent status to play the role of honest broker in regional disputes. It played a central role in the ceasefire agreed between Ethiopia and Eritrea and, in conjunction with Yemen and Sudan, it has worked to bring about a long-term political solution in Somalia. In the latter case, its efforts have been complicated by difficulties with the regime in ‘Somaliland’, the northern part of Somalia which borders directly on Djibouti and is effectively an independent state (see Somalia). Recently, the port of Djibouti has been heavily used by Western naval vessels operating in the Gulf.
Government
The President, who is head of state, is directly elected for a six-year term. The 65-member Chamber of Deputies, elected for a five-year term, comprises the legislature. Executive power is vested in the Council of Ministers and led by the Prime Minister, who is responsible to the President.
EconomyDjibouti’s economic output fell by one-third during the 1990s, largely due to the chaos which afflicted the Horn of Africa. Little of the mainly desert land will support crops and agriculture, and is therefore concentrated in rearing livestock; this is mostly conducted by nomadic tribes. There is a small industrial sector devoted to light manufacturing of locally consumed products.
Djibouti’s economic potential lies in the development of its service sector; in particular, transport facilities and banking. The deep-water port on the Bab-El-Mandeb Straits, which has developed as a major refueling and transhipment facility, is vitally important to the country, as it is on the major oil route between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. In addition, the government hopes to develop Djibouti as a general trading center between Africa and the Middle East and as an important telecommunications hub for the region.
However, at present, the country remains dependent on foreign aid, the bulk of which comes from France and Saudi Arabia.
Djibouti is a member of Common Market of Eastern and South Africa (COMESA), the League of Arab States, the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU). Unemployment, which affects perhaps half the workforce, is a particular problem.
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