Djibouti (Differently)

Republic of Djibouti
جمهورية جيبوتي
Timeline: Differently
Republic of Djibouti جمهورية جيبوتيTimeline: Differently
Flag	Emblem
	Motto: ; اتحاد، مساواة، سلام; "Unity, Equality, Peace"
	Anthem: ; "Hymn of the Republic";
	Location of Djibouti in Northern Africa
Capital	Ali Sabieh
Largest city	Djibouti City
Official languages	Arabic, Amharic
Religion	Alawite Islam
Government	Constitutional presidential republic
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment
Area
Population
Currency	Djiboutian riyal
Drives on the	right

Djibouti, officially the Alawite Republic of Djibouti, is a sovereign state in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is bordered by Ethiopia to the west and north, the Red Sea to the east, and Somalia to the south. With a surface area of 8,958 square kilometers and a population of just over one million inhabitants, Djibouti is Africa's fourth-smallest and third-least populous country. Globally, it ranks only 130th by area and 127th by population among the world's 152 sovereign states. The capital is Ali Sabieh and the largest city is Djibouti City.

Djibouti was formed in 1983, when a Republican revolution overthrew the ruling Adal Sultanate. Since then, Djibouti has been a Presidential republic. Djibouti follows the Alawite sect of Islam.

History[]

Kingdom of Adal and Alawite Migration (900–1205)[]

The Kingdom of Adal had occupied the region which would eventually become Djibouti since its formation in the 10th century. Prior to the unification of Adal, there were several Muslim city states in the region which were some of the first places outside of Arabia to embrace the Islamic faith.

While the region had been practicing Islam since the at least the 7th century, a new sect of Islam began being exported from exiles coming out of the Arabian Peninsula. Alawite Islam was founded in the 9th century by Arabian scholar Ibn Nusayr and preaches a sect of Islam which reveres Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib), considered the first Imam of the Twelver school. Many Alawites faced persecution in the Arabian peninsula and began fleeing to the Horn of Africa. The Kingdom of Adal tolerated the Alawites and allowed many of the Alawite merchants, scholars, and scientists into the Kingdom, which greatly benefited Adal. In 1205, King Abdul Jabbaar el-Idris proclaimed Alawite Islam as the official religion of Adal, stylizing himself as the Sultan.

Adal Sultanate (1205–1983)[]

Upon the formation of the Sultanate by Abdul Jabbaar el-Idris and the Walashma dynasty, the Adal Sultanate spent much of its early history in conflict with the non-Alawite Muslims of Arabia and Somalia to the east and north, and the Orthodox Christian Ethiopian Empire to the south. The Adal Sultanate remained in a constant state of war throughout much of the 1200s and 1300s until eventually making peace with the Muslim kingdoms to the east in 1320 and conquering large swarths of Ethiopia by the 1340s.

Throughout the 15th century, the Alawite faith in the Sultanate went through reformation similar to the Protestant reformation in the Christian world. These series of reformations were set off by scholar Ahmed al-Gaber after he began writing criticisms of Imams, the operation of mosques throughout Adal, and corruption within members of the ruling Walashma dynasty. These reformations were very successful and resulted in greater tolerance of non-Muslims such as Ethiopian Christianity and traditional African folk religions practiced within the Sultanate's borders. It also resulted in men gaining the ability to divorce women, but women could not divorce men and still remained largely without rights. On the other hand, there was also corruption within the military being routed out, giving Adal one of the most flexible and powerful militaries in the region.

In the 17th century, the Adal Sultanate continued to prosper through trade in the Horn of Africa, through Egypt, and through the Red Sea. Zeila, the capital of the Sultanate, became one of the wealthiest cities in East Africa and one of the fastest growing cities in the world rivaling the growth seen in Spain and the European colonial empires. By the 1700s, the sultanate had outgrown Ethiopia as the largest economy in the Horn of Africa.

The Adal Sultanate entered a period of stagnation following the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th century. The British gained much of Somaliland, including the wealthy Adal capital of Zeila, forcing the Sultan to relocate to the city of Ali Sabieh. This devastated Adal's trade economy and weakened Adal's military significantly. Throughout the early 20th century, the Adal Sultanate entered a strategic alliance with Ethiopia as they remained the only two states within east Africa to resist European colonialism. During the Cold War, the Sultanate supported efforts of decolonization as many African colonies began to break away from their European rulers and form nation states.

One of these newly independent nations was Somalia, which had gained independence from Britain and Italy in 1960. Somalia held the wealthy city of Zeila, the former capital of the Adal Sultanate. On August 12th, 1960, less than 2 months since Somalia gained independence, the Adal Sultanate's military occupied the city of Zeila, regaining control of the city for the first time since 1898. The Sultanate was able to destroy large parts of the Somali military by October of 1960 as the newly independent Somalia struggled against the more prepared Sultanate forces. But on January 5th, 1961, the Somali forces backed by British and Italian supplies were able to gain their first victory at the battle of Hargeisa where the Sultanate began to suffer from overextended supply lines and decreasing war morale. By the spring of 1961, the Somali military had pushed the Sultanate out of Zeila. The Treaty of Mogadishu was signed and the Adal Sultanate had suffered a crushing loss in the war.

With most government spending going towards the war, the Adal Sultanate's economy crashed following their defeat in the Adal-Somalian War. This resulted in exacerbated income inequality and resentment towards the Sultan and the Walashma Dynasty as a whole. Following stagnation throughout the 1970s and no efforts by the Sultan to improve the dire economic conditions, parts of the military defected and pledge their allegiance to the underground Republican movement. The Republican revolution began and lasted from March 18th to April 9th, 1983.

Mohamed-Daoud-Chehem-candidat-opposition-presidentielle-djiboutienne-parti-Union-pour-salut-national-USN-lors-interview-Djibouti-22-mars-2016 2 730 832 — Mohamed Daoud Chehem, 1st President of Djibouti (1983 - 1991)

Alawite Republic of Djibouti (1983–present)[]

Following the collapse of the Adal Sultanate and the end of the Walashma Dynasty's 778-year reign over the region, delegates from the military, republican political philosophers, and Imams met in the capital of Ali Sabieh to draft a new constitution and form a new nation out of the remaining territory of the Adal Sultanate. On June 6th, 1983, the Alawite Republic of Djibouti was proclaimed. The name Djibouti (Jab Bouti), which means "Bouti's defeat", comes from an old famous Adal folktale about a fabulous beast called Bouti, which killed livestock and terrorized people until it was defeated by hunters.

Since independence, Djibouti saw widescale economic recovery and growth under the administration of Mohamed Daoud Chehem, the first president. Chehem supports an orthodox free trade economic policy which saw private companies flock to Djibouti due to low tax rate and a business-friendly environment. This resulted in the mass privatization of waterfronts in cities such as Djibouti City, which saw luxury hotels built on the Red Sea waterfront. The economic boom would last throughout much of the 1990s as Chehem's successors replicated his economic policies.

While Djibouti would enjoy an economic boom, the collapse of Somalia in 1987 would complicate Djiboutian politics. The Social Conservatives within the Liberal Party would support a stronger border with the former Somalia and a staunch anti-refugee approach to the Somalis crossing the border into Djibouti. Meanwhile, the socially Liberal and Libertarian wings of the party favored allowing Somali immigrants so they could work jobs and stimulate the economy in the process. Ultimately, President Chehem sided with the Conservative wing of the party and barred refugees from entering Djibouti due to Djibouti still being a relatively young country. Djibouti would begin to demilitarize the border following the reunification of Somalia in 2005. Today, Djibouti and Somalia enjoy a relatively friendly relationship.

The current President is Kadra Mahamoud Haid, a former member of the National Assembly. She is a member of the Socialist Party and has pushed for more regulation to reduce income inequality caused by Chechem's policies. The rise of the Socialist Party in the 2000s created the two-party system which consists of the free market Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Socialist Party.

Government and Politics[]

Djibouti was ranked as a "full democracies" by the Democracy Index in 2018 with a rating of 8.04. Djibouti is a two-party system consisting of the Liberal Party and Socialist Party. The Liberal Party tends to be economically right wing while the Socialist Party tends to be economically left wing. While both parties fight each other on economic issues, members within both parties tend to have more diverse views on social issues such as immigration, abortion, and LGBT rights. Social liberals and social conservatives exist in both parties.

Geography[]

Djibouti is situated on the African coast of the Red Sea near the Horn of Africa. Rainfall is sparse, and most of the territory has a semi-arid to arid environment. Lake Assal is a saline lake which lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level, making it the lowest point on land in Africa and the third-lowest point on Earth after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

A great arc of mountains, consisting of the Mousa Ali, Goda Mountains, and Arrei Mountains surrounds Djibouti. It was through these mountain ranges that the Adal Sultanate was able to resist European colonization. These mountain ranges include the Mousa Ali, Goda Mountain, Garbi, Arrei Mountain, and the Mabla Mountain ranges.