The article draws on the growing concern and increased calls for action against the human rights violations in the country. The USN is represented as a peaceful, trustworthy organisation that seeks to eliminate human rights abuses. Through referencing authoritative bodies such as the British Foreign Office, BBC, LDDH and IFHR, the article boosts the credibility of the USN movement as a whole and also pinpoints the human rights situation as a priority for the international community.

Djibouti: Opposition Calls for the Release of all Political Prisoners

During his visit to London last week Djibouti President, Ismail Omar Guelleh told the BBC that there were no political prisoners in his country.

The Union for National Salvation (USN), the coalition of opposition parties in Djibouti, argues that there are more than 600 political prisoners in Djibouti.

The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR) and the Djiboutian League of Human Rights (LDDH) have called upon the international community; in particular the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to condemn the human rights violations committed by the Djiboutian authorities and contribute to a political solution to the current crisis.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: “We want to see an improvement on human rights in Djibouti.”

USN’s chief diplomat Abdurahman Boreh, in several interviews to the BBC in English, Somali and French services, urged President Guelleh to end the harassment of opposition leaders and their supporters.
In a recent report “Human Rights in Djibouti”, commissioned by “Friends of Djibouti”, the author, a British MP, Sir Tony Baldry, argues that “there is sufficient evidence to refer Djibouti’s President, Ismail Omar Guelleh, to the International Criminal Court for undertaking, permitting, allowing or sanctioning crimes against international law”.

Background

Guelleh’s family has been in power for 36 years. The current leader is the nephew of Hassan Gould Aptidon, the first president of Djibouti after independence in 1977. President Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected in 2005, when the opposition parties boycotted the election.

In April 2005, immediately after his re-election, Guelleh told the French newspaper Le Monde that he would not support a constitutional change allowing him to serve beyond his second term.

According to the Djiboutian League of Human Rights (LDDH) and the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR), at least 90 people have been arrested and detained at Gabode central prison in Djibouti since February 22 parliamentary elections.

For more information, visit http://djiboutiplan.com

The extensive tour, which seeks to raise awareness of the USN, began in Balbala and will continue into the capitals of the five districts which make up the country. All senior members of the USN are present, except the three clerics who are still imprisoned.

The USN continues to challenge the election results of 22 February 2013 and intends to inform the Djibouti population of their key concerns. The leaders of the USN have all called on their supporters “to continue to mobilize and continue the struggle until the final victory.”

Two weeks ago, a large delegation of the opposition begun a tour of major embassies stationed in Djibouti including the United States, France or Qatar.

Mr Abdourahman Boreh said:

“This USN tour is a fantastic opportunity for the Djibouti population, those affected most by the current regime, to engage with the USN movement.”

This is a significant move by the BBC as the interviews highlight and emphasise the widespread issues in Djibouti. Both Abdourahman Boreh and President Guelleh are given a platform to discuss the situation in the country.

Or particular significance is the interview with President Guelleh where the BBC presenter probes him on some of the key concerns of the USN, namely the extensive human rights abuses. His replies are not convincing, even laughing in some of his responses. The problems in Djibouti are far from laughable and President Guelleh fails to acknowledge the true extent of the situation in this interview.

Abdourahman Boreh clearly states that the USN is looking for a peaceful transition of power in order to achieve democracy.

This film begins to address some of the key concerns of the USN, namely the allegations of fraud and unjustified imprisonment by the Djibouti government. The journalist places doubt on the ability of the current regime, stating that the USN and wider Djibouti population remain unconvinced by the government’s claim that it is pursuing democracy.

The video and accompanying article is copied in full below:

Djibouti Trade Dream: Reforms and Reproach

Djibouti is on a mission – a trade mission – in the UK. The small Horn of Africa state wants British investment to help build up its economy.

It sits in a strategically important point at the mouth of the Red Sea. Two thirds of the world’s commercial shipping fleet sails through its waters.

All is not well, however, and concerns over political stability lurked over the Djibouti government’s shoulder on its visit to London.

IBTimes UK spoke to Djibouti’s economy and finance minister Ilyas Dawaleh and the protesters gathered outside the trade forum.

This news is welcomed by the entire USN movement, and is a brief moment of justice for the people of Djibouti.

With DAF free, the USN is in a position to take up Guelleh’s commitment to talks, which were promised on the record on BBC Afrique.

The USN remains committed to pursuing diplomatic channels to ensure peaceful transition of power to a new democratically-elected government, and justice, dignity and democracy for the people of Djibouti

Mr Abdourahman Boreh said:

“DAF’s release is hugely important for the USN, indicating that the Guelleh regime is finally caving to international pressure. Whilst DAF’s release is important, this is but the first step that the regime must now take. We continue to call for the release of all further political prisoners, including Faycal Mohamed, Cheikh Bachir, Cheikh Guirreh and Dr Barkad.

“We thank stakeholders and allies that have pushed for the release of DAF – particularly the US State Department, whose important intervention has made a significant impact on the political situation in Djibouti and has invigorated our efforts to secure peaceful democratic transition of power.”

Demonstrations were held in central London on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the Somalia Conference and the UK-Djibouti Trade & Investment Forum, which saw President Guelleh visit the UK capital. Whilst Guelleh assumed business as usual in discussing foreign direct investment from UK firms in Djibouti, the USN sought to spotlight the deteriorating situation in the country, calling on the UK government to address the major political and humanitarian abuses currently taking place. With over 500 USN supporters in attendance, it was hard to ignore the calls from the USN to the international community.

Interventions in the international media have also built momentum. Articles in both The Times and Le Figaro this week have provided exposure and support for the USN, with the journalist at Le Figaro particularly casting doubt on the ability of the current regime to support the needs of the Djiboutian people. BBC Somalia also broadcast a hugely influential piece that saw both President Guelleh and Abdourahman Boreh go head to head, showcasing the USN as the credible movement that it is. This piece, broadcast throughout the Horn of Africa region, was heard by the people on the ground in Djibouti, the people in most need.

USN representatives continued to engage with multiple political stakeholders during high level meetings this week. They received considerable support and solidarity from diplomats on behalf of the Djibouti people.

The overwhelmingly positive response received from key international stakeholders emphasises the critical importance of the USN’s movement. Plans to engage further with the NGO community will add to this momentum.

Going forward, the USN will continue to fight against human rights abuses in Djibouti in the name of democratic change.

Mr Abdourahman Boreh said:

“This week has been hugely encouraging for the USN but also the future of Djibouti as a whole. We will continue to pursue the channels which are available to ensure a prosperous future for Djibouti.”

USN supporters lined the streets as the Somalia Conference and the UK-Djibouti Trade & Investment Forum took place, with President Guelleh in attendance.

The below videos give a snapshot of the event, with interviews with key USN representatives, including Abdourahman Boreh.

Demonstration day 1:

Demonstration day 2:

This piece is representative of a greater understanding of the situation in Djibouti by the international media.

Le Président djiboutien , les pieds bardés d’épines en visite à Londres

Deux fauteuils pour un : le Président de la République de « Djibouti et de la Somalie », les pieds bardés d’épines en visite à Londres

Les djiboutiens se posent la question légitime à savoir si finalement Ismaël Omar Guelleh ne serait pas plutôt le « Président » qu’il faudrait pour la Somalie, vu toute « l’énergie » qu’il déploie pour sa « pseudo reconstruction » alors qu’il en est le pompier-pyromane. Ce qui cause problème aujourd’hui, d’un point de vue politique et constitutionnelle, c’est la double casquette de ce dernier qui se comporte en double chef d’état, alors que la République dont il est censé gouverner est transpercée de toutes parts.

Avec un crescendo de corruption depuis 1977, la marginalisation permanente des djiboutiens, le manque de liberté et de démocratie, les arrestations arbitraires, la crise politique profonde, une administration complètement affaissée et des rapports internationaux très accablants qui discréditent le régime djiboutien, c’est avec les deux pieds bardés d’épines et en mauvais VRP, que le Chef du gouvernement s’était rendu dans la capitale londonienne, pour vendre une confiance qui n’ait plus, particulièrement dans un contexte qui n’est propice à rien. Une façon très sarcastique de voir la République et sa propre gouvernance.

L’interview du Ministre des Affaires Etrangères de l’USN, M. Abdourahman Boreh, accordée à la BBC, a balayé d’un revers de ce qui relève d’un délire inquiétant qui idéalise une situation pourtant ô combien préoccupante.

Mais l’opposition de l’extérieur et la Diaspora, fidèles dans leur combat pour le changement, seront toujours sur son chemin pour dire au monde, la vérité sur la triste réalité d’une mal gouvernance et d’une République à la dérive, sans réel capitaine et sans gouvernail qui sombre à grand pas.

The article, copied in full below, spotlights the forum, questions Guelleh’s human right record and introduces the USN.

Djibouti seeks stronger ties with Britain

President Guelleh says that he is cracking down on corruption in Djibouti.

It is used to getting far less attention than its bigger, more troublesome neighbours, but this week in London Djibouti will get its turn in the diplomatic spotlight.

President Guelleh, in London for a conference on Somalia, will extend his visit for talks with politicians and business leaders aimed at attracting British investment to his country, whose small size belies its growing strategic significance in the Horn of Africa.

“The UK is becoming a vital partner in the region, both economically and politically,” Mr Guelleh said. “For Djibouti, in particular, the reinforcement of our diplomatic relations is important.”

He is keen to attract investors to cement Djibouti’s growing status as the main maritime and military hub in one of the world’s roughest neighbourhoods. A poor, tiny country of fewer than a million people, which secured independence from France only in the late 1970s, Djibouti also happens to boast one of the most advanced ports in the region.

It has become the main commercial outlet for booming Ethiopia and is home to the only permanent American military base in sub-Saharan Africa. Camp Lemmonier, a former French army camp, is the hub for the controversial American drone strikes on Yemen and Somalia. Japan and France also have a significant military presence, while Djibouti has also become a crucial base for international naval operations against Somali pirates.

But while President Guelleh is eager to emphasise Djibouti’s potential, opposition figures have raised concerns about his administration’s human rights record, including claims that elections in February were marred by attacks on opposition activists.

One group, L’Union Pour le Salut National, has called for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to use the UK-Djibouti investment talks to put pressure on his administration.

Abdourahman Boreh, the USN’s overseas spokesman, said: “The international community must use talks in London to directly address the grave situation in Djibouti.”

Mr Boreh is no ordinary dissident. He was one of Djibouti’s most powerful businessmen and a confidant of the President. Now exiled in Dubai and London, he is being pursued by the administration through the English courts for allegedly siphoning millions of dollars during his time as head of Djibouti’s ports. Mr Boreh denies the allegations and claims the legal action against him is politically motivated.

Yet President Guelleh is eager not to let a public clash with his most visible opponent get in the way of his attempts to build closer relations with the UK this week. Responding to the USN’s criticisms, he argues that the parliamentary elections in February were a “democratic milestone … Ahead of the elections, political debates open to all parties were broadcast on national TV … The Opposition, which last year won local elections in the city of Djibouti, won 20 per cent of the seats in the parliament under the new system. All four international observer missions, along with the embassies of the US and France, declared that the elections were free and fair.”

The President said he was improving governance and creating a friendlier climate for international businesses: “This is not an easy task, as it requires important cultural and institutional changes. But, as a Government, we are committed and making great progress.”

Among the British officials attending Wednesday’s conference will be Mark Simmonds, the Minister for Africa. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We want to see an improvement on human rights in Djibouti. The UK-Djibouti Investment Forum is an opportunity to use our influence to seek improvements.”

The article, copied in full below, is a vital intervention ahead of the Somalia Conference and the UK-Djibouti Trade & Investment Forum, taking place next week in London. Outlining the importance of Djibouti as a strategic and geopolitical hub on the Horn of Africa, the piece goes on to describe the inherent contradictions upon which the Guelleh regime runs the country.

In an important statement of solidarity with the Djiboutian opposition movement, the article presents a strong critique of the Guelleh regime’s flagrant mistreatment of activists prior to, during and following elections in Djibouti earlier this year. “The president’s attempt to create a veneer of democratic respectability,” The Economist states, “has been thwarted.”

But the article does not point out that the USN has legitimately won the election, the results of which remain unannounced.

The USN and Djibouti opposition activists will use the forthcoming Somalia Conference and the UK-Djibouti Trade & Investment Forum as a platform to publicly and vocally demand international support for democracy, dignity and justice in Djibouti; and call upon the Guelleh regime for a formal, mediated debate regarding the future of the country.

Containers — and containing dissent

A RED shipping container is suspended from a crane above a tandoori-hot dock alongside the freighter on which it has just crossed the Indian Ocean. Suddenly something goes slightly wrong. The container slips, maybe by a foot: no harm done. Perhaps a mechanical fault is to blame, or a gust of wind that feels like the opening of an oven door. Men in bright vests scurry around the dock in a panic, trying to find the culprit. In Djibouti the port is everything.

No country depends more on a string of jetties than this former French territory on the Red Sea. Other states, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, that also began as ports have diversified in recent decades, but not Djibouti. It lacks the skilled workforce to become a financial-services centre. Yet thanks to three unrelated developments it has turned into an ever more extraordinary transit hub.

First, its backdoor leads to the world’s most populous landlocked country, Ethiopia, home to a fast-growing economy that needs access to the sea. Most of the food, oil and consumer goods imported for Ethiopia’s 83m-plus people passes through Djibouti. Instability in Ethiopia’s eastern neighbour, Somalia, and bad blood with Ethiopia’s other old enemy, Eritrea, mean that Djibouti is the only main transit option. Hence a new railway line to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, is being built.

At the same time, freighters chugging between Europe and Asia have been seeking an alternative to their traditional halfway stop in Dubai, which involves a detour into the Gulf. Djibouti is more directly en route. In 2009 it spent $400m on a state-of-the-art container terminal, the only one in the region. In the five previous years, trade volume had already doubled and is set to do so again. To expand still more, Djibouti’s port authority is close to securing $4.4 billion from abroad for another five terminals which, it is hoped, will be ready in the next four years.

Third, the woes of Djibouti’s neighbours have brought the world’s most powerful navies to its shores. Piracy in Somalia and anti-terror campaigns on the Arabian peninsula, only 32km (20 miles) away across the water, have created what a new report by Chatham House, a London-based think-tank, calls an “international maritime and military laboratory”.

The United States is the biggest lab rat. Djibouti hosts the only permanent American base in Africa, home to 3,200 people, not all of them naval. Since 2010, American drones have been flying from Camp Lemonnier, beside the main airport, making it the busiest base for drones outside Afghanistan. Some 50 military flights take off every day, including a squadron of F-15E jets, which arrived in 2011. The Pentagon has drawn up plans to spend $1.4 billion to expand the base and triple the number of its special forces there to more than 1,000.

France, the former colonial master, still guarantees Djibouti’s security and keeps 2,000 troops there. The port-state also hosts the biggest military presence of Japan and China outside Asia, both drawn by the fight against Somali piracy. Along with Western countries, they co-operate keenly to protect commercial vessels—though everyone spies on each other. Djibouti also often hosts security-minded delegations from Russia, Iran and India. Even in the cold war, rarely was neutral territory so colourful or crowded.

All this toing and froing has brought Djibouti windfall revenues. President Ismail Omar Guelleh, whose family has been in charge since independence in 1977, dishes out a good slice of it to the country’s small elite, which is gratefully compliant. The rest of the almost 1m inhabitants are among the poorest in Africa, with 60% of them unemployed.

Rattled by the Arab spring and fearing that even minor instability could frighten away foreign military friends and investors, the president has embarked on a carefully staged course of political reform. During legislative elections in February a fifth of the seats were allocated in proportion to votes cast rather than under the previous winner-takes-all system that has long favoured the president’s allies.

Opposition parties were given access to state media and allowed to hold rallies. They won 16 out of 65 seats but then alleged fraud, leading to demonstrations, street clashes with the police and the incarceration of the leading protesters. For the moment, the president’s attempt to create a veneer of democratic respectability has been thwarted. Voters turn out to be trickier to handle than containers.