I know this is a page dedicated to the ills of Djibouti, but in order for a 3rd world country in Africa to do the things it does without any international outcry requires a big brother.  In this case that brother is the US government.

So let us take a few moments to examine the big brother, in particular the US State Department.

 Department of State purpose includes:

• Protecting and assisting U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad;
• Assisting U.S. businesses in the international marketplace;
• Coordinating and providing support for international activities of other U.S. agencies (local, state, or federal government), official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts.
• Keeping the public informed about U.S. foreign policy and relations with other countries and providing feedback from the public to administration officials.

The first two items are key as they directly impact normal people, and will apply to future discussions.

Let us also include the Mission Statement
To: 'Advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system.'

I took the liberty of adding bold and underlines.  

Now let us look at the role of the consulate:


A Consulate is the representation of the public administration of a country in a foreign land.  First of all it is responsible for its own fellow- citizens, living or travelling in the host country. The most important duties of a consulate are:

1) To help its own citizens in distress or other emergency situations.

2) To look after its own citizens in detention or arrest and to watch over the rule of law and fair trials.

To establish and renew passports and other official documents

To report Births, Deaths, Marriages, Divorces, Adoptions etc. happened in the host country to the competent authorities home.

To inform its own citizens living abroad about the social security situation

To handle the military formalities and control for its own citizens liable to military service.

To establish entry visas to foreign citizens and to inform them about immigration-, residence- and work permits.

**A consul is responsible for ensuring that their citizens are treated fairly under the law of the foreign country in which he is stationed. Any citizen, whether visiting the foreign country or living there for an extended period, would go to the consul if experiencing legal difficulties. For example, if a citizen from Country A is visiting Country X, and  is arrested for a criminal act and brought to trial, it is the responsibility of the consul from Country A to appear in court and make sure that the law is administered properly in the citizen's case.

Keep the first two points (1, 2) in mind as we progress through these pages.  
It will all come together, and you will say 'ah ha' this writer ain't so crazy after all.

Djibouti gained its independence from French colonial rule in 1977. The legal system established by the French was adopted by the new Djiboutian government. The Djiboutian Constitution and laws would not be so unfamiliar to anyone in the west as they guarantee the same basic rights as is found in the United States, EU, etc. The legal procedures, as they are written, are no different. This is the fanciful situation. The reality is the application of those procedures and laws has recently been described by the US Embassy in Djibouti as arbitrary.

Arbitrary, also known as discretionary, whimsical, unpredictable, is a very powerful word when it is used to describe a legal system. Think about it, what legal or government system is based on the arbitrary application of the law? Hmmm, a legal system that is arbitrary is one which gives a few, or one, near unlimited power to do as they, or he, sees fit to do without regard to any rules or oversight. An arbitrary legal system is no rule of law, it is simply based upon the whim of those who are in power. This system allows for one person to determine when the rules apply, when rules do not apply, and to what degree those rules may apply.

Let us think about the United States and why it is such a grand experiment. Because the people got sick and tired of a few special 'royal' families being able to place a member of their family into the position of king, or emperor, (aka dictatorship) who had the ability to arbitrarily apply and enforce or not any legal procedure or law. The kings and emperors of the world were all, mostly all, replaced by rule of law that is equally and fairly applied to all people regardless of family or positional status of the individual.

If it smells like a dictatorship, if it sounds like a dictatorship, if it looks like a dictatorship, it must be a dictatorship.

This blog page is being set up to make public the on-going human rights issues found in a little 3rd world country located in the Horn of Africa.  You read it correctly, Horn of Africa.  Human rights violations, dictator are two terms that are normally associated with countries of Africa, so nothing of interest or surprising.  What is of interest is that the US government financially and militarily props the Dictator and government up under the guise of defending and promoting security and human rights in the region; Middle East, and East/North Africa.

I would read this news story from CBS News first to get a basic understanding of the situation in this little country.   http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-worlds-enduring-dictators-ismael-omar-guelleh-djibouti/