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Background: The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections in 1999 resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH. Djibouti occupies a very strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but has also developed increasingly stronger ties with the United States in recent years. Djibouti currently hosts the only United States military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.

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By Stuart
April 8th 2008

French Somalia

Africa » Djibouti

Djibouti - European quarter

Djibouti is one of the smallest and most expensive countries in Africa. A small glass of beer in a restaurant cost $US7! At that price teetotalism seemed a very attractive prospect! I didn't get out of the capital city during my stay as I was concentrating on trying to get Visas. As a result I at least enjoyed the good (but expensive) cuisine in the restaurants. The good food is a result of the French colonial influence. The journey to Djibouti was an arduous trip. It started with a 3am start from the city of Dire Diwa in Ethiopia with a [View Full Entry]

By Dina S
July 7th 2007

Djibouti- "French Somalia"

Africa » Djibouti

RECOVERED

Untitled I got to Ethiopia just last week, on the Wednesday the 4th to be exact. A couple of days later, we set off to Djibouti for the weekend for an AU Conference. Djibouti, the city that is, is a wonderful city right on the water. However, it is probably the hottest place i have ever been to. Compared to Khartoum, the climate in humid, making it feel like a sauna. The city itself is very much a coastal city and has recently been privatized by the Emirates, giving it a slight Dubai feel. Sadly, it seem that the country [View Full Entry]

By 2Brothers3Continents
April 9th 2007

The desert and the port

Africa » Djibouti

Grand Barra
More than 400 SQ KM of nothing.

In our guide book we have read the following information: the daily cost in Djibouti was 3 times the other African countries, country had many foreigners and an strategical high tech sea port. With this information we imagined that would be a rich country, beautiful and clean (Higher cost of living) and easy to travel (many foreigners). But once we arrived, the big surprise. Even thought everything cost a fortune and people doesn't seam to realize the value of things (We went looking for hotels in Dikhil and, as we are used already, they offered a room if much higher [View Full Entry]

By Jacque the idiot
December 28th 2006

Those were the days.......

Africa » Djibouti

Before we started the project....
Thank you Monseur Marill...

A month ago I was still in Djibouti enjoying my final days in Djibouti and right now Im already in another continent. What had happened in Djibouti was like a dream to me that I'll never forget..... [View Full Entry]

By Jacque the idiot
August 12th 2006

Ali Baba Revisited Lac Asal

Africa » Djibouti

Lac Asal

Again we have revisited the Lac Asal...... [View Full Entry]

Malaysian, Phillippino, Egyptian, Djiboutian and Indonesian at Lac Asal

By rickmoore
July 15th 2006

Rock and Khat

Africa » Djibouti

Khat Booth
Hidden under a burlap bag - to keep it fresh.

The passangers from the Air France A340 crammed into the small terminal to wait for the baggage. To make matters worse, there were two conveyor belts, and you could not see both at the same time. There were a lot of soldiers on that flight, and a lot of camoflaged duffel bags unloaded from the plane. The night we arrived was the World Cup final. In Arta, we watched the game on the huge tv screen with a thousand or more people from the village. They ran around and cheered for both the French and the Italians. I sat on a [View Full Entry]

By Jacque the idiot
June 5th 2006

Moucha Island

Africa » Djibouti

Honda and Funagi at Moucha

Another island in Djibouti [View Full Entry]

By The Crusty Penny
May 31st 2006

Toby Keith visits us

Africa » Djibouti

Closeup of Toby
My personal closeup shot of Toby

The day everyone has been waiting for has arrived. Toby Keith came to visit us for a small concert. The band was in rare form and American Patriotism was at it's best. I must say, I just recently heard of him but my mind clicked when some said-"Remember him-He's the one who slammed the Dixie Chicks for their comments in Europe?". Then I remembered who he was. Nonetheless, I became a "groupie" like everyone else and had to have my picture taken with him. As you can see in one of the pictures, I had full anticipation of shaking his hand. [View Full Entry]

By hawas
May 5th 2006

The Forest of the Day

Africa » Djibouti

camel enjoying fresher air

The forest of the Day (pronounced dye or die). During my time with the army I had the opportunity to be part of a training mission that took place in the Forest of the Day. We went up there because the hot season had begun and the best way to escape the rising heat of the valleys was to set up a camp high in a mountain top or plateau. The forest is at 1500 metres altitude and the day temperatures are more bearable. However temperatures between night and day vary considerably. We came across some dangerous black and yellowish scorpions [View Full Entry]

By hawas
May 5th 2006

Camels and Caravans

Africa » Djibouti

Caravan at rest

Here are some pictures of camels I took on the way to the lac Assal. I have noticed that some picture look blueish. The black volcanic environement has certainly something to do with it. I have come across similar pictures on the web and the result is the same. The sun reflection on the black rocks would produce this kind of blueish hazy result I should think. [View Full Entry]

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Travel Blog » Africa » Djibouti