Elections, politics and external involvement in Djibouti

The report details the 2011 Djiboutian presidential elections, which saw President Ismail Omar Guelleh re-elected for a third term with 80.56% of the vote following a boycott by the main opposition coalition, the Union for a Democratic Alternative (UAD). The author argues that the electoral process was far from competitive due to the fusion of the ruling Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) with the state apparatus and the removal of presidential term limits in 2010. The document also highlights internal instability, including violent youth protests in February 2011 and ethnic tensions between the Issa and Afar groups. Externally, it describes the strategic military presence of France and the US, and the volatile border relationship with Eritrea, which was partially mitigated by Qatari mediation in 2010.

• President Ismail Omar Guelleh won the April 8, 2011, presidential elections with approximately 80.56% of the vote, defeating independent candidate Mohammed Warsama, who received 19.42%.
• The 2011 elections were characterized by a boycott from the main opposition coalition, the Union for a Democratic Alternative (UAD), which cited concerns over the independence and neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).
• In April 2010, the National Assembly passed constitutional amendments that abolished presidential term limits and reduced the presidential term from six years to five.
• The ruling Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) maintains control through a fusion of the party and the state, utilizing state resources for financing and controlling national media.
• Violent protests occurred in February 2011, driven by dissatisfied youth and unemployed people from the Balbala slum, who demanded that President Guelleh step down.
• Djibouti faces ongoing ethnic tensions between the Issa-dominated government and the Afar population, with the government fearing a potential Afar insurgency in the north.
• Following military clashes in June 2008, Eritrea withdrew troops from contested border areas in June 2010 after mediation by Qatar, which then deployed an observation force.
• The United States maintains its only official military base in Africa, Camp Lemonier, in Djibouti, paying approximately US$30 million annually to operate the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HoA) for counter-terrorism missions.
• France maintains its largest African military base in Djibouti with around 2,900 soldiers as of April 2011, paying €30 million annually to support its strategic interests in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

APA

Mesfin, B. (2011). Elections, politics and external involvement in Djibouti. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2011_15AprDjibouti.pdf

Chicago

Mesfin, Berouk. Elections, politics and external involvement in Djibouti. Institute for Security Studies, 2011. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2011_15AprDjibouti.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mesfin |first1=Berouk |title=Elections, politics and external involvement in Djibouti |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=14 April 2011 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2011_15AprDjibouti.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mesfin2011elections, author = {Mesfin, Berouk}, title = {{Elections, politics and external involvement in Djibouti}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2011}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SitRep2011_15AprDjibouti.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }