Djibouti: Information on the Djiboutian government's treatment of Djiboutian Issaq clan members, government officials who sympathize with the SNM, and in particular, the treatment accorded government functionaries when they return to Djibouti
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DJI3402 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Djibouti: Information on the Djiboutian government's treatment of Djiboutian Issaq clan members, government officials who sympathize with the SNM, and in particular, the treatment accorded government functionaries when they return to Djibouti, 1 December 1989, DJI3402, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abda34.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the DOS report for 1988, Djibouti is made up predominantly of the Issa, the ethnic group of the President and his ruling party. The most sizable minority are the Afar, followed by the Gadaboursi and the Issaq.
FootnoteS:
[Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), p.95.] Mr. Mohamed Abdulrashid Sharmarke, manager of COSTI, Centre for Italian Scholastic and Technical Organizations located in Toronto, suggests that the Issaq could account for up to 20% of the Djiboutian population. The DOS report further states the predominant status of the Issa in the ruling party, the civil service, and the military discriminates against the Afar, the Gadaboursi, and the Issaq. [ibid. p.98.]
As Mr. Sharmarke states, the Djiboutian government, eager to maintain the economic links it shares with Ethiopia and Somalia, has adopted a neutral stand regarding the internal activities of the countries that make up the Horn of Africa. This can be discerned in the media, which avoids reporting on "crime, violence, ethnic strife, and domestic politics in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia." [ibid. p.97.] Consequently, public political protest is prohibited through the selective enforcement of laws requiring permits for mass public assembly and by short detention of persons without charge. [ibid. p.97.]
On 31 May 1988, about 400 Issaqs were arrested in Djibouti-ville for participating in an unauthorized public demonstration celebrating SNM military victories against the Somali government. Although most were released after a two week period, 18 were convicted and sentenced to 6-month prison terms. Appeal proved fruitless both on the convictions and the sentences. [ibid. p.96.] As the U.S. State Department notes, "the judiciary appears to be susceptible to government influence in cases of political interest." [ibid. p.96.]
There is no information presently available to the IRBDC regarding the government's treatment of its own officials upon returning from foreign missions.
