French Somaliland

French Somaliland was a French colonial territory in the Horn of Africa (the region around the port of Djibouti), inhabited primarily by Somali and Afar peoples. It existed as a separate French overseas territory into the mid-20th century, remaining politically distinct from neighboring Somali territories even as they underwent decolonization and unification.

Claims that use this term

• France’s rigged 1957 referendum radicalized the French Somaliland independence movement.
• French Somaliland was the most profitable Somali territory yet least socially developed
• French Somaliland remained politically insulated while other Somali territories transformed.
• French Somaliland evolved economically while remaining politically static
• French intervention crushed nationalist Somali leadership in French Somaliland
• Leadership of French Somaliland passed from Somalis to ‘Afar under French backing