PT Journal
AU Dvoracek, J
   Zahorik, J
TI The Belated Independence of Djibouti: The Strategic Position of the French Colony in Africa, ca. 1917-1977
SO Historica Olomucensia
PY 2015
BP 111
EP 121
VL 48
IS 1
DI 10.5507/ho.2015.005
DE Djibouti; Ethiopia; Somalia; France; colonialism; railway
AB For decades, the Horn of Africa has attracted the attention of world powers, especially because of its strategic position on the geopolitical map, which enables it to control a strategically important region in the Middle East and in the Indian Ocean. Since the opening of the Suez Canal, the whole region has become one of the most important sea waterways connecting European, African and Asian trade routes. French colonial activities in the Horn started around the same time and culminated in the construction of a strategic railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa. All of the above-mentioned aspects played a very significant role during the time of decolonization. The belated independence of the sea port of Djibouti caused tensions in Franco-Ethiopian relations, which became extremely complicated after the independence of Somalia, whose territorial claims had intensified after 1960.
ER