US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI442

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DJIBOUTI 000442 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/PD A. JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OIIP, DJ 
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: INFLUENCE ANALYSIS 
 
REF: STATE 33359 
 
1. (U)  The following text was compiled in report form per 
reftel.  Begin text: 
 
DJIBOUTI 
 
Djibouti,s population is estimated at 600,000 inhabitants 
from diverse ethnic backgrounds.  Somalis make up the 
majority, followed by the Afars and a minority of Arabs.  The 
population has ethnic, cultural and religious ties with 
Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.  An important number of 
French nationals and Ethiopian migrants also reside in 
country.  Djibouti gained its independence from the French in 
1977. 
 
The country's mixed economy has little industry and few 
natural resources. Most people reside in Djibouti City where 
poverty and unemployment rates are high. Outside the capital 
city, the primary economic activity is nomadic subsistence. 
The part of the annual gross domestic product not generated 
by and for the foreign community is estimated at no more than 
$250 per capita annually.  Much of the country's wealth, 
education and influence are concentrated in the hands of a 
small elite. 
 
The Government (GODJ) limits citizens' rights to change their 
government and restricts freedom of the press.  It also 
limits freedom of assembly, uses force to disperse 
demonstrations and strikes, and restricts freedom of 
association. 
 
Print, television, broadcast and electronic media services 
exist in Djibouti. Most, however, are state controlled. 
Accordingly, the President and his cabinet level officials 
figure prominently in the headlines, which are received with 
a degree of cynicism by the population. There is no confusion 
about the President,s complete control over the country,s 
largest media outlets. Post has good relations with the state 
media and can normally facilitate coverage of events that 
contribute to the positive portrayal of the United States. 
 
The main state run paper is La Nation. Published in French 
thrice weekly (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday), its editor 
is Adil Ahmed Youssouf and its circulation is about 4,000. La 
Nation is read by most literate, metropolitan Djiboutians 
regardless of their political affiliation despite its role as 
the government mouthpiece. It is sold in newstands and by 
street vendors. Distribution outside the city is limited to 
the commissaires (district governors), school principals and 
teachers. 
 
Al Qarn is the Arabic version of La Nation and has the same 
editorial stance. Its editor is Moumin Hassan Barreh and its 
circulation is considerably less than La Nation because it 
targets the small Arabic speaking community and Arab foreign 
missions (Djibouti is an Arab League Member).  Al Qarn is 
published twice weekly (Monday and Thursday) and is available 
in newstands and with street vendors. 
 
Le Progrs is published in French on Mondays and is the 
governing party Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progres (RPP) 
propaganda paper. Its editor is Mohamed Hassan Ahmed and its 
circulation is about 300. It is available in newstands and 
with street vendors in Djibouti City, but outside of town its 
readership is almost non-existent. 
 
Local officials do not as a rule hold press conferences. 
Visiting U.S. officials are afforded the opportunity to 
address the press during/after meetings with Djiboutian 
officials or on site visits.  The Embassy often utilizes 
press releases to provide its information about U.S. 
activities to the press. A large percentage of Djibouti,s 
population is illiterate, hence TV coverage often reaches a 
larger audience than the print media. 
 
Djibouti has a state run television station that is regularly 
viewed between 7-9 p.m. countrywide. Radio Television 
Djibouti (RTD) is led by Director Abdi Atteyeh, although the 
President and Minister of Communications retain editorial 
control. RTD programs are broadcast in the local languages of 
Afar and Somali as well as the two official languages, Arabic 
and French. 
 
Although RTD has a strong audience among those wealthy enough 
to buy televisions, the most heavily watched programming in 
Djibouti is the French channel &Canal Plus.8  Additionally, 
Arab broadcasts from Egypt and Saudi Arabia including 
&Al-Jazeera8 reach audiences in Djibouti. 
 
Because of its small size and nomadic history, Djiboutian 
society has a strong oral tradition that naturally feeds the 
local popularity of radio. Radio remains one of the few 
cost-effective means for the population to gather 
information, and is often considered more trustworthy than 
other outlets. It also reaches more people per capita than 
any other medium. 
 
RTD,s radio division is popular and includes programming in 
news, education, culture and health. BBC Somali is also 
extremely popular. The IBB presence in Djibouti currently 
includes two FM transmitters and one medium wave radio tower 
and broadcasts are in French, English and Arabic.  Radio 
broadcasts in the Somali language would reach the largest 
part of the population. 
 
The divide between state and independent print press is a 
critical issue.  The  "independent" print press is often 
accurately considered more "opposition" than "independent." 
 
Ralit is published in French each Wednesday and is the 
official mouth-piece of one party of the opposition 
coalition, ARD (Alliance Rpublicaine pour le Dveloppement - 
Republican Alliance for Development, President of which is 
Ahmed Dini). Its circulation is about 500 and its outspoken 
criticism of the government is popular with the general 
public. 
 
Le Renouveau Djiboutien is published in French on Thursdays 
and is the official mouthpiece of the MRD (Movement pour le 
Renouveau Democratique). Its editor is the well-known 
opposition figure Daher Ahmed Farah and its circulation is 
estimated at 1000. Openly critical of the Government of 
Djibouti, Le Renouveau Djiboutien is frequently banned by the 
government and Farah was recently imprisoned for charges of 
defamation of character levied against him after he published 
an unflattering article about the country,s number two 
military officer. 
 
The independent print press frequently serves a watch dog 
type role over government operations; however, it is also 
highly politicized.  That said, it is still a good forum for 
indirect promotion of American values such as human rights, 
transparency and democracy. Embassy interaction with these 
outlets is often a delicate political issue. We currently 
engage them through our Washington File distribution, with 
press releases and with invitations to background briefings. 
 
Djiboutians in general have extensive experience with the 
West, particularly the French.  Although some journalists are 
Western trained, the press corps is largely limited and 
unprofessional. Existing Djiboutian media outlets offer few 
opportunities for investigative reporting and there is no 
system for educating those interested in journalism.  The 
Embassy has found that it is most likely to ensure accurate 
extensive coverage of U.S. activities by providing the media 
with copies of prepared texts.  A few local journalists do 
act as stringers for international news outlets such as the 
BBC, RFI and VOA. 
 
Diifu is the only group in country actively pursuing the 
development of a truly independent press. A group of about 15 
enthusiastic young adults, Diifu hopes to one day publish 
regularly in Afar, French, English, Arabic and Somali. 
However, it faces many political and financial challenges. 
Post believes that support for Diifu is currently our best 
method of encouraging an independent press with broad access 
to many groups in the community. 
 
Aside from local media, one must note the active 
international media environment in Djibouti. Djibouti is the 
single largest per capita recipient of US foreign assistance 
in Africa and has the only US military installation on the 
continent (CJTF-HOA). Because of this important geopolitical 
position, the country receives the continued attention of a 
wide-spectrum of media. In addition to local media 
responsibilities in the last year, Post hosted such high 
profile international media as the New York Times, CNN, The 
LA Times, AP, ABC, le Figaro, USA Today, Radio France 
International, Fox News, BBC, The London Times and Reuters. 
Media responsibilities as they pertain to the Global War on 
Terror are shared with the Public Affairs section for 
CJTF-HOA at Camp Lemonier. Embassy Djibouti and CJTF-HOA PA 
currently have a good, cooperative working relationship which 
we believe promotes a unified message and broad range of 
coverage in the international media. 
 
Telecommunications Infrastructure 
 
Telecommunications remains one of the largest barriers to 
promoting information flow and business investment in 
Djibouti.  The country is well positioned to develop its 
internet connectivity and availability as it is home to a 
large hub -- the South East Asia - Middle East - Western 
Europe #3 (Sea-Me-We3) transoceanic cable connection between 
Europe and Asia.  The connection apportioned to Djibouti on 
Sea-Me-We3 is so small it is nearly obsolete, however.  The 
root of the internet connectivity problem is the inadequate 
telephone network in Djibouti and the high cost of telephone 
lines, which prohibit many from having dedicated land lines 
for Internet.  Problems with reliability of the lines also 
plague both internet and telephone communications. Internet 
access is rare in schools and businesses, although there is a 
small thriving group of internet cafes in the city. Although 
the price of internet service in Djibouti is still 
prohibitive, more and more educated youth are using these 
cafes to obtain their information. 
 
 
Key Institutions 
 
The Judicial System ) Very Important 
 
After independence, Djibouti retained in large part the 
French Napoleonic code judicial system.  The French did not, 
unfortunately, train any local judges and GODJ relied on the 
French judges for many years after independence.  A number of 
local judges were gradually trained over the years but the 
shortage still exists. 
 
The existing Judiciary does not operate independently of the 
executive branch. Promoting transparency and independent 
operations is a priority to eliminate executive interference 
as well as tribal influences on judicial decisions. 
 
Political Parties ) Very Important 
 
At independence, government opted to keep one official 
political party in order to prevent disintegration along 
tribal affiliations.  The RPP was born in March 1979 and Mr. 
Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who was President of the Republic at 
that time, was elected its first President.  Since its 
inception, one clan -- the Issas -- have completely dominated 
the RPP. In reaction, the second largest ethnic group -- the 
Afars -- formed their own political party, the &Front pour 
la Restauration de l,Unit8 (FRUD).  The political climate 
became so tense that it culminated in civil war from 1991 to 
1994. 
 
The Djiboutian Constitution, finalized in 1992, lifted the 
ban on political parties by allowing political pluralism with 
a maximum of four parties for a transitional period of ten 
years. By January 2002, eight parties grouped in two 
coalitions were represented in the parliamentary elections. 
However in the 2002 legislative elections, the ruling party 
coalition won all 65 seats, amid opposition claims of massive 
fraud.  PD programs must focus on political pluralism, 
grassroots democracy and transparency in order to promote 
free and fair elections. 
 
Government/Elections*Very Important 
 
Djibouti is a republic with a strong presidency and a weak 
legislature.  In 1999, the country elected its second 
president since gaining independence in 1977.  Ismael Omar 
Guelleh, the candidate of the RPP, won the election with 74 
percent of the vote. PD must target issues of transparency, 
free and fair elections and grassroots democracy in 
preparation this year,s first-ever regional elections and 
for next year,s presidential election. 
 
Security and Defense ) Very Important 
 
Security, defense and the Global War on Terror remain the 
thrust of many of our MPP goals and public affairs programs. 
Strategy includes highlighting our many anti-terrorism 
programs and trainings here including, ATA, mil-to-mil 
training and CJTF-HOA civil affairs projects. In addition, PD 
must continue to focus messages of respect for human rights 
and due process on security and defense services. 
 
NGOs ) Marginally Important 
 
The NGO community is small and has cordial ties but does not 
act in conjunction with the Embassy. While we believe that 
donor and NGO projects should be more closely coordinated, 
the NGO community is not a target for our PD activities. 
 
Academic Institutions ) Very Important 
 
PD Djibouti has an active relationship with the country,s 
only university, Pole University. We believe this to be one 
of our most important venues for engagement thanks to the 
demographics of the audience (educated Muslims aged 
17-27),and their enthusiasm for access to English language 
resources. While Post,s relationship with the student body 
is excellent, the relationship with the administration 
remains complicated because of the large percentage of 
funding provided to the institution by the French. 
 
In addition, one of our easiest entry points into the 
community is the English night schools, which have few 
resources or training but high enrollment from all walks of 
society. 
 
Many of our USAID programs focus on improving the quality of 
education in country, and many of our PD resources should be 
focused on highlighting that involvement with the Djiboutian 
educational system. 
 
Mosques ) Increasingly Important 
Despite the fact that the country is 98 percent Muslim, Post 
currently does not engage the religious community in an 
effective way. Two PD strategies for doing so include 
increased distribution of Arabic language materials and 
targeting grants to moderate Islamic groups in country. 
 
The American Community ) Increasingly Important 
 
Post provides American Citizen Services to US citizens in 
Djibouti and Northwest Somalia. With the addition of CJTF-HOA 
and its attached contractors, the American community serviced 
here has grown drastically.  The 2006 MPP focuses on better 
access to our American constituents with information on 
voting, passports, adoptions and other consular services. Our 
main strategy for doing so remains the Camp Lemonier 
newsletter, as well as public presentations at the Camp. 
 
RAGSDALE