DJIBOUTI: Reform demands spread to tiny East African nation

Testifying to the infectious fever of calling for democratic change, protests spread Friday to the tiny East African nation of Djibouti, where thousands rallied in demand that the president resign.

President Ismail Omar Guelleh has incurred the wrath of his countryman by changing the constitution to scrap a two-term limit that would have prohibited him from running for reelection in April.

The Guelleh dynasty has been in power for three decades in the nation of 516,000. Despite rampant unemployment and life expectancy of only 43 years, analysts predict that Guelleh would win reelection if allowed to run.

Djibouti, strategically located where the Gulf of Aden leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, hosts the only U.S. military base in Africa at Camp Lemonier.

-- Carol J. Williams

Comments

[Waberi Hassan]

Djbouti poeple desserv democration despite the fact they are in very small country.There is no small or big dictator,there is on only dictator.Please pay attention to djibouti situation as you done for egyptian poeple.

[muktar hassan]

Djibouti is rule by the same family since June 27, 1977. Over 80% of Djibouti people reject guelle. Guelle is very dangerous for the stability of the regions . Guelle is in the business of arms trafficking, money laundering. Guelle is originally from Ethiopia and he is the number 1 dictator of the phase of the earth. Guelle is a 9th grade level and has never finish high school.The country is rule since the independence by one party called RPP. In Djibouti democracy only exit on paper. Tortured of opposition leaders are so frequent. He rule the country by fear. he has created his own mercenary militia mainly from his sub-tribe and are all originally from Somaliland and Ethiopia. Guelle has created chaos and misappropriated illegally all public assets and all donation funding received from European and the US. The US government must not support this dictator and instead call for his resignation. The unemployment is over 75%. The Afar people from the Nord and the sud west faced a daily basis to hunger, arrest, torture and killing at will.