Covers the 1967 referendum on the territory's political future and its disputed conduct, the UN General Assembly's repeated calls for independence from 1966, the May 1977 referendum, independence in June 1977, and UN admission in September 1977. It does not cover the pre-1966 colonial period or post-independence governance in detail.
Djibouti, in East Africa on the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, was administered by France as French Somaliland and later the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. A referendum on the territory's political future was held on 19 March 1967, ordered by President Charles de Gaulle after rioting during a 1966 visit; 60.60% voted to remain French, a result that followed France's deportation of roughly 6,000 ethnic Somalis in the months before the vote.[1][2] The UN General Assembly repeatedly called for the territory's independence through the 1960s and 1970s, including in a 1975 resolution demanding France grant "immediate and unconditional independence."[3] A referendum on 8 May 1977 produced an overwhelming majority for independence, and Djibouti became independent from France on 27 June 1977.[4][5] It was admitted to the United Nations that September.[6]
Status verified as of
Djibouti has been an independent, UN-member state since 1977.[6]
History
From UN calls for decolonisation through the 1977 referendum to independence and UN membership.
241 words · 2 min read
· Referendum or popular consultation
A referendum held on 19 March 1967, ordered by President Charles de Gaulle after 1966 rioting during his visit, saw 60.60% vote to remain French; France had deported roughly 6,000 ethnic Somalis before the vote.
Significance here: An earlier referendum, a decade before independence, whose contested conduct fed into the UN's continued pressure on France.
· Declaration
The General Assembly reaffirmed the right of the people of French Somaliland (Djibouti) to immediate and unconditional independence and called on France to grant it.
Significance here: International pressure that preceded the 1977 referendum and independence.
· Referendum or popular consultation
Voters in the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas voted for independence in a referendum held on 8 May 1977, alongside an election for a Constituent Assembly.
Significance here: The vote that led directly to Djibouti's independence seven weeks later.
· Declaration
Djibouti became independent from France on 27 June 1977.
Significance here: The formal end of French rule following the referendum.
· Recognition
Following the Security Council's recommendation, the General Assembly admitted the Republic of Djibouti as a member of the United Nations.
Significance here: Formal international recognition of Djiboutian statehood following independence.
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
Claim: A referendum on the political future of French Somaliland was held on 19 March 1967; 60.60% of votes favoured remaining a French territory and 39.40% favoured independence.
Claim: Ahead of the 19 March 1967 referendum, French authorities deported roughly 6,000 ethnic Somalis from the territory to Somalia between August 1966 and March 1967; contemporary and later reference accounts link this measure to the referendum's outcome, since it removed part of the population thought to favour independence.
Claim: On 11 December 1975 the General Assembly adopted resolution 3480 (XXX), reaffirming "its unqualified support of the right of the people of so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti) to immediate and unconditional independence in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV)" and calling "once again upon the Government of France to grant immediate and unconditional independence to the people of so-called French Somaliland (Djibouti) and to withdraw all its military forces from the Territory," following statements by representatives of the Front de libération de la Côte des Somalis, the Mouvement de libération de Djibouti and the Ligue populaire africaine pour l'indépendance.
Claim: A referendum on independence for the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas was held on 8 May 1977; of 81,063 valid votes cast, 80,864 (99.75%) favoured independence and 199 (0.25%) favoured remaining a French territory, on a turnout of 77.24% (81,847 votes cast of 105,962 registered voters).
Claim: Djibouti became independent from France on 27 June 1977.
Claim: The UN General Assembly decided to admit the Republic of Djibouti to membership in the United Nations at its 1st plenary meeting on 20 September 1977, following the Security Council's recommendation of 7 July 1977.
Claim: On 20 December 1966 the General Assembly adopted resolution 2228 (XXI), by 95 votes to 1 with 18 abstentions, reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of French Somaliland to self-determination and noting the announcement that a referendum on the territory's political future would be held before July 1967.