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IFES

Djibouti

IFES began work in Djibouti in 2005, with a pre-election assessment prior to presidential elections that year. Since that time, IFES has worked in the areas of electoral reform and decentralization. IFES’ work in Djibouti is funded by USAID.

Current Projects
Promoting Political Dialogue About Reform
In 1991, civil war broke out in Djibouti between the government and the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD), composed primarily of the Afar minority population who wanted more representation in government.
 
Peace accords were signed in 1994 and again in 2000, resolving FRUD’s grievances and consolidating support for the new government. In addition, in 1992, Djibouti approved a new constitution by national referendum that introduced multi-party politics. As agreed upon in 2001, the government is working to decentralize power to ensure adequate representation for all ethnicities and to encourage grassroots participation in politics. 
 
However, serious political divides remain within the country, whose opposition parties are still new and whose civil society has limited experience engaging with government.
 
IFES has organized workshops among key election stakeholders to generate dialogue about election reform. The goal is to build consensus for a legal framework that can achieve the greatest popular participation, especially that of historically marginalized populations.
More about IFES' elections work »

Past Projects in Djibouti »

To learn more about our experts from this region, visit here.

For more information, please contact us at africa.programs@ifes.org.

Applications and resumes are not accepted at this address.

Djibouti News and Materials
March 2006
Electoral Assessment: Djibouti: 2005 Pre-Election Assessment Report (.pdf)
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