TAKING A STAND!
There are many examples of Djibouti citizens taking a stand throughout its history, and they are still taking a stand today.
Djibouti was colonized by France in the 1800s. In 1960, Djibouti people took a vote to decide whether they wanted to be part of Somalia, or stay with France. They took a stand and decided to stay with France.
Eventually, Djibouti decided to become independent from France in 1977. Since then it has been a single party government and has been ruled since 1999 by the same leader named President Ismail Omar Guelleh. Last week there was an election and many citizens think that the leader cheated the election. Many Djibouti citizens are accusing the President Guelleh and his party of fraud, and opposition leaders were put under house arrest for speaking out. Guellah is a militant Islam. The opposition leaders are more moderate. The protesters took to the streets last week chanting “freedom” and “free our leaders.”
Djibouti was colonized by France in the 1800s. In 1960, Djibouti people took a vote to decide whether they wanted to be part of Somalia, or stay with France. They took a stand and decided to stay with France.
Eventually, Djibouti decided to become independent from France in 1977. Since then it has been a single party government and has been ruled since 1999 by the same leader named President Ismail Omar Guelleh. Last week there was an election and many citizens think that the leader cheated the election. Many Djibouti citizens are accusing the President Guelleh and his party of fraud, and opposition leaders were put under house arrest for speaking out. Guellah is a militant Islam. The opposition leaders are more moderate. The protesters took to the streets last week chanting “freedom” and “free our leaders.”
On February 22, 2013, the Djbouti government ended the election boycott that lasted for 10 years. The people of Djibouti were able to select 20 percent, or 13 out of the 65 parliamentary seats by voting for the first time in ten years. The peaceful outcome of this change is "a milestone for the democracy of Djibouti" said Ismail Omar Guelleh. This was the first time in 10 years that opposition leaders had access to Djibouti-controlled media. There have been many protests within the country, opposing the third term re-election of President Ismail Omar Guelleh.