La ville de Djibouti entre intégration aux enjeux mondiaux et fragmentation urbaine

The city of Djibouti, created from scratch in 1887, has always been a junction point between Africa – particularly isolated highlands of the region – and the rest of the world. The isolation of Ethiopia following the independence of Eritrea in 1991, the rise of Islamism and the disintegration of Somalia, and the rise of the foreign military bases enabled the city to fully integrate its historical vocation and therefore global issues. This affirmation of Djibouti on the regional scene allowed an economic revitalization, with an average growth rate of 5 % per year in the decade 2000-2010 and 6 % forecast for the current decade. Foreign investments, which focus mainly in the transport sector, begin to provide the city with a new physiognomy. These performances, at least macroeconomic, are paradoxically not accompanied by easing of social tension, largely because of poor governance. A great pauperization and the widespread violence are increasing in the city of Djibouti, which has officially 475 000 inhabitants.