History: Djibouti

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

1. 1.

   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.

   • 1967 French Somaliland independence referendum (Wikipedia) link, Results section. Source record
2. 2.

   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.

   • 1967 French Somaliland independence referendum (Wikipedia) link, Background section. Source record
   • French Somaliland: Victory for Trouble (Time, 1967) link, article text. Source record
3. 3.

   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.

   • United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly resolution 2228 (XXI): Question of French Somaliland (United Nations, 20 December 1966) link, resolution text and voting record. Source record
4. 4.

   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.

   • United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly resolution 3480 (XXX): Question of French Somaliland (United Nations, 11 December 1975) link, operative paras. 1 and 4. Source record
5. 5.

   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).

   • Nohlen, Dieter; Krennerich, Michael and Thibaut, Bernhard, Elections in Africa: A Data Handbook (Oxford University Press, 1999) , Djibouti chapter, election results table. Source record
6. 6.

   Claim: Djibouti became independent from France on 27 June 1977.

   • Shillington, Kevin, Encyclopedia of African History (Fitzroy Dearborn, 2005) , Djibouti entry. Source record
7. 7.

   Claim: On 7 July 1977 the Security Council, having examined the Republic of Djibouti's application for UN membership, unanimously recommended to the General Assembly that it be admitted.

   • United Nations Security Council, Security Council resolution 412 (1977) (United Nations, 7 July 1977) link, operative paragraph. Source record
8. 8.

   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.

   • United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly resolution 32/1: Admission of the Republic of Djibouti to membership in the United Nations (United Nations, 20 September 1977) link, operative paragraph and meeting note. Source record