FRENCH SOMALILAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00825R000100050001-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 1, 1967
• Content Type: IM

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CONFIDENTIAL
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM ?I"'-
FRENCH SOMALILAND
CIA/BI GM 67-3
I March 1967
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
WARNING
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within
the meaning of the espionage laws, Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or
revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
CONFIDENTIAL
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 The people of French Somaliland (la Cote Francaise
des Somalis) will go to the polls on Sunday, 19 March
1967, to determine the political future of the one remain-
ing French Overseas Territory in Africa. By casting a
white ballot in the affirmative or a blue ballot in the nega-
tive they will answer the question "Do you want the
territory to remain within the French Republic with the
new governmental and administrative status, the basic
details of which have already been brought to your at-
tention?" This referendum raises questions concerning
the future of the economy of French Somaliland (hereto-
fore financed by France), the relationship between Ethi-
opia and Somalia, and the stability of the entire Horn of
Africa. In the referendum of September 1958, French
Somaliland voted by a 2 to 1 margin to remain in the
Republic. Dissatisfaction with the government and agi-
tation for independence has, however, been slowly in-
creasing in the past several years. Ethiopia, already
harassed by dissidence in Eritrea and the Ogaden, is
apprehensive over the fate of its most important rail
outlet to the sea. Both Ethiopia and the Somali Repub-
lic are aware that an independent French Somaliland
would be a weak state, and both are concerned over the
possibility that the territory might come under the con-
trol of the other.
Physical Setting
French Somaliland is a tiny pocket of rocky ridges
and salt flats situated at the western end of the Gulf
of Aden. It is less than 24 miles across the waters of
Bab al Mandab from Yemen and South Arabia. Inter-
national borders total only 320 miles, of which 282 miles
are with Ethiopia and 38 miles are with the Somali Re-
public. The major feature of the coast is the Bay of
Tadjoura, which extends inland some 60 miles from the
Gulf of Aden and provides an excellent deepwater
anchorage, a rare feature of the east coast of Africa.
The port of Djibouti, situated on the southern shore of
the bay, a short distance from the Gulf of Aden, is the
administrative center, the only significant urban area, and
the economic heart of the territory. Djibouti is the
terminus of the Franco-Ethiopian Railroad (Compagnie
du Chemin de Fer - Ethiopia de Djibouti a Addis
Ababa), which links it to Addis Ababa 325 air miles to
the southwest. The port of Aden on the coast of South
Arabia is 160 miles to the northeast.
This memorandum was produced solely by CIA. It was
prepared by the Office of Basic Intelligence and coordinated with
the Offices of 'Current Intelligence, Research and Reports, and
National Estimates.
Most of the 8,900 square miles of French Somaliland
are forbidding, rocky desert. Black volcanic rocks con-
trast sharply with white salt wasteland. Over much of
the area angular ridges overlook boulder-strewn valleys.
Level surfaces along the coast and in interior basins are
comprised of unproductive salty clay soils. Two in-
terior basins contain large, shallow salt lakes, and salt
marshes are found in a number of the smaller basins.
There are no fresh-water lakes. Most of the coast of
the Bay of Tadjoura rises steeply from the water, but
near the Gulf of Aden the shore flattens into a plain that
extends north and south along the Gulf of Aden. Nat-
ural vegetation is limited almost exclusively to thorny
bushes, separated by patches of bare ground. O .Ay
along the slopes of the ridges north of the Bay of Tad-
joura, where elevations rise to 3,000 feet and more is
there true forest cover. Here, euphorbia, juniper, cam-
phor, and incense are found. Occasional palms dot :he
dry streambeds, indicating a source of subsurface
moisture.
Precipitation usually occurs in the form of thunder-
storms that vary in frequency and intensity. At Djibouti,
where the only weather station with a reasonable length
of record is located, the mean annual precipitation is
5.1 inches and no month averages more than 1.0 inch.
By comparison, the mean annual precipitation at Phoenix,
Arizona is 7.62 inches. At any location more rain may
fall in one afternoon than is customarily recorded in an
entire near. High temperatures cause rapid evaporation
and further lessen rainfall effectiveness. In the 63 years
of record at Djibouti, the lowest recorded temperature is
63?F. The coolest months are January and February,
when daily maximums are about 83?F. and daily mini-
mums are near 72?F. In July and August, early morn-
ing temperatures are usually about 72?F. and afternoon
temperatures are 103?F. to 105?F. Warm, dusty winds,
not uncommon at any time of the year, are particularly
frequent from June through September. A hot, dry
northwest wind frequently rises after midday and carries
over into the evening hours. Occasionally, wind vel:)ci-
ties exceed 50 miles per hour. These winds from the
interior may bring temperature increases of as much
as 15?F. to 20?F.
Water is at a premium everywhere in French Sorr ali-
land. Except for the few hours immediately followir:g a
thunderstorm, there is no surface water. While drilled
wells supply settlements, most rural people obtain mes.ger
supplies of brackish water by digging into the bed; of
wadis.
Transportation
Transportation in French Somaliland is centered on
Djibouti, the terminus of the Franco-Ethiopian Railroad.
This 486-mile, meter-gauge line is the only impor:ant
bulk carrier in the territory and is one of the main reasons
for Ethiopia's interest in the forthcoming referendum.
From the time it began operations in 1917 until 1952
it was Addis Ababa's only access route to the coast;
the sea may now be reached by highway, however--by
the 550-mile road to Assab and the 750-mile road to
Massawa. joint French-Ethiopian ownership of the rail-
road was established by a treaty in 1959 which provided
for Ethiopian use of facilities in Djibouti without extra-
territorial rights. The railroad enters French Somaliland
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The registration of eligible voters for the coming refer-
endum closed on 15 February 1967. Persons wishing to
register were required to produce documents supporting
a claim to 3 years of residence in French Somaliland.
During the period of Djibouti's recent growth, the Afar
population in the city increased from 2,500 to 4,000 while
the Somali population jumped from 22,000 to 40,000; the
population of the rural area has remained relatively
stable. Many of the newly arrived Somalis are Issack
from former British Somaliland. Although the French
have virtually ignored the border with Ethiopia, they
have at times closely controlled the Somali frontier and
that border is now officially closed. In the fall of 1966
several thousand Somalis who could not produce identity
papers and some who could were trucked the 12 miles
back to the Somali Republic border at Loyada. About
the same time a barbed wire fence was constructed on
the outskirts of Djibouti to control entry to the city.
Thus far, the number of new registrants has not been
announced. As of 30 July 1963, when some 60,000 resi-
dents were considered French citizens, 28,728 persons
were registered to vote in French Somaliland, 10,102 in
Djibouti. At this time, in addition to 3,951 Europeans
and Arabs, 16,404 persons were registered in pre-
dominantly Afar districts and 8,373 in predominantly
Somali districts.
The Somali Republic looks upon French Somaliland
as a portion of "Greater Somalia." Djibouti and the
Franco-Ethiopian Railroad, however, are important to
the economic interests of Ethiopia. Accurate informa-
tion on many aspects of the current scene in French
Somaliland remains sparse, but it is likely that the
territory will continue to be an economic liability and
an area of contention between Ethiopia and the Somali
Republic regardless of the outcome of the referendum.
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National capital
'' Airstrip
Railroad
Surfaced road
Unsurfaced road
or track
0 10 20 Mlles
0 10 20 Kilometers
1:1,275,000
42
BOUNDARY REPRES,ENT.$ ION IS
NOT NECESSARILY AUTHORITATIVE
F7NTE
MUSSA LLI
Ta lfourrE
adjoining areas of the French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and
the Somali Republic. There is a considerable overlap
of Issa and Afar people in southwestern French Somali-
land, an area in which these tribes have clashed for
generations. The Issa are conscious of belonging to a
"Somali nation" and have taken an active part in agita-
tion against the French in Djibouti.
Issack people are sometimes referred to in Djibouti,
where they now number over 20,000, as "foreign Somalis."
Their traditional homeland is in the former British
Somaliland. Although many Issack have come to Dji-
bouti within the last 3 years, they have long been
active in local politics and have supplied significant num-
bers of men to the security forces. Many Issack are
employed in the government's civil service and by the
Europeans of Djibouti. Characteristically, the Issack
maintain close ties with relatives in the Somali Republic.
It is not unusual for an Issack to support a family in
Djibouti and a family in the tribal area and to hold both
French and Somali citizenship. Many Issack support the
"Greater Somalia" concept.
The Arabs of French Somaliland originated in Yemen
and South Arabia and are now found almost exclusively
in Djibouti. They number between 8,000 and 10,000
and are primarily traders. Some Yemeni cultivate small
truck gardens on the outskirts of Djibouti. An estimated
Chebele L6yada
1,000 Asians, mostly Indians, also operate small businesses
in Djibouti. Mindful of recent events in Zanzibar,
neither of these groups has taken an active role in recent
political activity, but Radio Cairo is popular among the
Arabs and a number of Arab youths are associated with
the Somali political parties.
European civilians number about 6,000 and are pri-
marily residents of Djibouti. Many are French admin-
istrators and some are French who are employed on the
railroad, in the port, and in banking. European busi-
nessmen, however, are largely of Greek or Armenian
extraction. The technician class is made up of Italians,
many of whom have come south from Eritrea. French
Somaliland has been a particularly desirable post for
Frenchmen because of the salary differential and the
opportunity to escape the Metropole income tax. In
addition, there are no taxes on business profits, real
estate, or bank accounts. Europeans are the major local
consumers of goods and services in Djibouti. Few bene-
fits trickle down to the native population and very little
of the income of European residents of Djibouti is in-
vested in the territory.
Military forces consist of something over 3,000 French
troops: the 13th Demi Brigade of the Foreign Legion,
several companies of infantry, some artillery units, and
small elements of the Navy and Air Force.
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about 6 miles southwest of Ali-Sabieh and proceeds
northeastward, mostly over rough terrain, 63 miles to
Djibouti. Between the border and Djibouti there are
20 bridges, including 2 that are more than 450 feet
long-1 at Chebele, 10 miles southwest of Djibouti, and
1 at Hol Hol, 29 miles southwest of Djibouti. Within
French Somaliland and for some 75 to 100 miles west of
the border in Ethiopia, the track runs through country
populated by potentially dissident Somali tribesmen.
The railroad is additionally vulnerable to interruption
because it parallels the border of the Somali Republic
at distances of 10 to 20 miles.
Road travel over much of the territory is slow, rough,
and dusty and is accomplished best in vehicles equipped
with four-wheel drive. The only existing paved high-
ways, 25 miles in length, are all in the vicinity of
Djibouti. In addition, there are about 1,000 miles of
poorly maintained dirt roads and motorable tracks, and
numerous natural-surface tracks fan out across the terri-
tory. Tracks frequently follow wadi beds that are sub-
ject to flash floods after cloudbursts. Many stretches of
road are impassable after thundershowers, and travel on
some roads is slowed frequently by drifting sand. Cross-
country movement is good along the coast to the south of
Djibouti toward the Somali Republic and northward
from the vicinity of Obock to Eritrea; elsewhere it is
generally poor.
In a region where flying weather is generally good,
the French have found light aircraft the most convenient
mode of travel. Some 28 natural-surface airstrips are
scattered over the territory. Only at the airfield at
Djibouti, however, is there a paved runway capable of
handling all aircraft used by international airlines.
Economy
Saline soils, high temperatures, blowing sands, and
the lack of water combine to limit the agricultural poten-
tial of the area. A maximum of 300 acres-less than
half a square mile-is presently cultivated in French
Somaliland. The most successful farmers cultivate some
200 gardens that provide vegetables for the city markets.
In the unlikely event that irrigation water is made avail-
able, an additional 7,400 acres or so-about 17 square
miles-might be cultivated. Some 500,000 to 600,000
animals, forage on marginal grazing lands; sheep, goats,
and camels dig out the roots of tough grasses, strip the
branches from small bushes, and eat the bark off the
trees.
Food consumed by the urban population is largely
imported. Some 5,000 sheep and 50,000 goats are im-
ported officially each year, but no estimate can be made
of animals driven across the border illegally. Live poul-
try is imported from Ethiopia, and fresh vegetables and
fruit are obtained from Ethiopia, Aden, and Yemen.
Europeans in French Somaliland receive ample supplies
of frozen, canned, and bottled goods through the port.
Each day Ethiopian Airlines flies in more than 2 tons
of kat (qat)-a mild narcotic leaf chewed like tobacco
or snuff; retailing at more than $2 per pound, kat chal-
lenges food crops for space on the farmland of the terri-
tory and competes for the food dollar in the city markets.
The major businesses in Djibouti-clearing houses, gro-
ceries, pharmacies, machine shops, banks, and an ice
plant-cater to the shipping industry. The port of
Djibouti offers fuel and water to passing ships, and al-
most half of the shipping entering Djibouti makes the
call solely for these services. Some 85 percent of the
cargo handled at the port either is destined for or
originated in Ethiopia. By weight, the port handled 30
percent of all of Ethiopia's imports and 20 percent of
all her exports in the first 6 months of 1966. By value,
40 to 45 percent of all of Ethiopia's exports, more than
half of which was coffee, passed through Djibouti during
the same period. All goods carried between Ethiopia
and Djibouti are handled by the Franco-Ethiopian Rail-
road.
Income derived from the port and railroad fall far
short of meeting the financial needs of the territory, and
it has been sustained by French subsidies, including
funds channeled through FIDES (Fonds d'Investisse-
ment at de Developpernent Economique et Social).
Without the railroad and, in particular, the French pay-
ments, the economic life of Djibouti would approximate
the lassitude of its underdeveloped hinterland.
Population
The best estimates of the population of the territory
are from French sources that are not always in detailed
agreement. Data derived from these sources for 1961
and 1963 indicate a population of 80,000 to 83,000, with
about half of the total in Djibouti. Governor Louis
Saget in September 1966, however, referred to a popula-
tion in excess of 100,000, including 62,000 in Djibouti.
The growing population of Djibouti includes new arrivals
who have come in from the desert to enjoy the advantages
of city life under French rule. A laborer on the Djibouti
docks may, for example, earn as much as $2 per day-
three times as much as he could earn in the Somali
Republic. The opportunities for schooling and medical
care afforded Djibouti residents are unequaled elsewhere
in French Somaliland or in neighboring areas. Shortages
of food and water in the unproductive and overgrazed
countryside further increase the attraction of the city.
The people of French Somaliland are divided into six
distinctive communities. Each of these communities has
internal factions, and each is concerned primarily with
its own affairs. There is little feeling for Djibouti as
a city or, until the last year or two, for French Somali-
land as a political entity. Most of the population is
nominally Muslim, a factor that has no perceptible unify-
ing influence. The major groupings include the Afar,
natives related to Ethiopian peoples; the Issa, Somali
natives related to people in both Ethiopia and the Somali
Republic; the Issack (Issak or Is'hak), "foreigners" from
the Somali Republic; the Arabs; Europeans; and Asians.
The Afar-called Danakil in Ethiopia-are the largest
single tribal element. They number about 42,000, some
4,000 of whom are in Djibouti. Most of the Afar are
villagers or nomadic herders scattered over the northern
and western sectors of the territory. Their tribal area
covers about 75 percent of French Somaliland. Some
250,000 fellow tribesmen live in northeastern Ethiopia.
Tribal relationship, however, is no guarantee of mutual
understanding. The Afar of the Obock area are tradi-
tional rivals of the Afar of the Tadjoura area, and the
Djibouti Afar tend to disagree, particularly, with the con-
servative Tadjoura group. Aversion to Somalis generally
overrides internal bickering among the Afar, and the
French administration has consistently favored the Afar
over the Somali in the territory.
The Issa tribe is the largest Somali grouping in French
Somaliland. Because the tribesmen drift back and
forth across boundaries and generally appear wherever
life appears to be the best at the moment, the Issa popu-
lation is. particularly difficult to assess. There are prob-
ably about 28,000 Issa in the territory, with about 20,000
of these (nearly half of the Somali population) in
Djibouti; some 8,000 Issa live in the rural areas south
and west of Djibouti. They are representatives of a
tribe of 80,000 to 100,000 people who are scattered across
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CONFIDENTIAL
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