Following independence Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed a Issas led one-party state and he continued to serve as president of the country until 1999. Afars unrest was prevalent during the 1990s and has been described as civil war, however a peace treaty was signed in 2000 and since then there have been multi-party elections, even if the current president won his last election with 100% of the vote!

Sixty per cent of the country's population live in the capital city of Djibouti, the rest are mainly nomadic herdsmen. Education is a major problem in Djibouti with under 30% of children attending school, much less for girls.

Despite its location next to the sea, Djibouti is little visited by outsiders, except for the French with their colonial ties, however it is used a military base for the USA, which brings important revenue into the country, where unemployment is estimated to be between 40-50% of the working population. This is partly because Djibouti has few natural resources and insufficient rainfall and arable land (most of the country is a stony desert) to feed itself, having to import most foodstuffs.

Given its location Djibouti is seen to have a strategic role in the so-called 'War on Terrorism' as it is situated across from the Gulf states, and the newly emerging concerns about Yemen. However Djibouti itself is a predominately Muslim country with each and every town and village having its own Mosque.