"Djibouti -- It does not get hotter than... " a Djibouti Travel Page by Ekahau

Now this is a place with fond memories on my first of 12 trips to this place on the horn of Africa I was watching TV and Hassan Gouled Aptidon the President of Djibouti announced he was going home for the month of July. Home to his villa in France the president of a place but he considers France home. This really summed it up every time I went in my official capacity to visit a Djiboutian official they would say hi give me tea and than out of a closet from the back of a room would come a French functionary who would take care of the business at hand.

The Republic of Djibouti is a small country only 8,250 square miles located at the the spot that the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden meet the Bab-el-Mandeb. Since independence from France in 1977, Djibouti has pursued a moderate foreign policy. Djibouti's population of approximately 600,000 is predominantly Muslim and mainly of Somali or Afar origin. The main languages are French and Somali, and little English is spoken. There is a small but influential Arab population, mainly from Yemen, and a European community of approximately 10,000, primarily French. Djibouti is France's largest foreign military base. Djibouti is host to several thousand French military personnel, including the 13e Démi-Brigade de la Légion Étrangère (13e DBLE - 13th Half-Brigade of the Foreign Legion) and is the home port of the French Indian Ocean Fleet.

Now time for an intresting story well at least intresting to this VTer. It was very early on a very hot Bastille Day, the Fourteenth of July and I went down to see the Bastille Day Parade of the French Foreign Legion. They had a large group march by than a long pause and another long group march by. I asked my friend from tne Freanch Navy what was that he explained that - The 13th Brigade was deployed in the Battle of Bir Hakeim. Interestingly, part of the Legion was loyal to the Free French movement, yet another part was loyal to the Vichy government. A battle in Syria saw two opposing sides fight against each other in a short engagement, and later on the Vichy Legion joined its Free French brethren. Because half deserted General Gegal declarded it a Demi-one half brigade. It has been know ever since as the 13th Démi-Brigade de la Légion Étrangère even though it is at full a Brigade strength.