GOULED APTIDON, HASSAN Further Reading Cohen, Barry M. “Moscow at Munich: Did the Soviet Union Offer Unilateral Aid to Czechoslovakia?” East European Quarterly 12, no. 3 (1978): 341–348. Kraus, Michael. “The Kremlin and the Slovak National Uprising, August–October, 1944.” Slovakia 34, nos. 62–63 (1989–90): 50ff. Kurze, Marsch. The Short March: The Communist Takeover of Czechoslovakia, 1945–48. London: C. Hurst, 1987. Skilling, H. Gordon. “Gottwald and the Bolshivization of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.” Slavic Review 20, no. 4 (1961): 641–655.
Gouled Aptidon, Hassan (1916– ) president of Djibouti Hassan Gouled Aptidon was born in Zeila, French Somaliland, on October 15, 1916, a son of Issa nomads. After working many years as a street vendor he entered politics and by 1952 had been elected to the French National Assembly. Gouled Aptidon allied himself with President CHARLES DE GAULLE and supported his policy of allowing colonial territories greater autonomy and aid instead of independence. He returned home in 1963 to serve as minister of education but became increasingly disillusioned by French favoritism shown toward the minority Afar people. By 1969 Gouled Aptidon was serving in the Territorial Assembly and had switched his political allegiance to François Mitterrand of the Socialist Party. He now agitated for complete independence from France and also founded the Ligue Populaire Africaine pour l’Indépendance (LPAI), African People’s League for Independence, to propagate his anti-imperialist beliefs. By December 1975 France had declared its intention to withdraw from the Horn of Africa, and a 10-member governing council was established as a transition government. The council was carefully drawn up along ethnic lines and comprised six Issa and four Afar. Gouled Aptidon, as one of French Somaliland’s most respected politicians, was appointed to a seat, and on June 24, 1977, he was voted president of the newly founded Republic of Djibouti. He retained power for the next 22 years. Independence did little to mitigate deep-seated tribal tensions between the majority Issa and minority Afar, but Gouled Aptidon achieved an unexpected degree of consensus through a masterful juggling of eth-
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nic priorities. The president deliberately cultivated friendly ties with Afar leaders, appointing several to positions of responsibility within his government, including prime minister. Furthermore, he downplayed traditional tribal rivalries while stressing their common Arabic heritage as a unifying factor. To further reduce ethnic competition in politics, he installed one-party rule through creation of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR), Popular Rally for Progress, which replaced the LPAI in March 1979. In July 1981 Gouled Aptidon, running as the sole candidate, was overwhelmingly elected by popular vote to a second six-year term. He repeated this feat again on April 24, 1987, with 90 percent of votes cast. As chief executive, Gouled Aptidon displayed considerable ingenuity in transforming Djibouti from a parched desert enclave into a center of high tech and commerce. He accomplished this by maintaining close ties to France, granting it naval facilities on the Red Sea, and receiving foreign aid in return. This assistance was channeled into badly needed irrigation programs, geothermal facilities, and oil exploration. Djibouti’s port and rail facilities were also upgraded to handle increased trade with the interior. Consequently, the tiny nation emerged as one of the most stable and prosperous regions of the volatile Horn of Africa. And despite his affinity for the West, Gouled Aptidon joined the Arab League, establishing close ties to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and receiving additional financial and technical backing in return. A major concern of Gouled Aptidon’s administration was relations with its two larger neighbors, Ethiopia and Somalia. Djibouti at one time or another was claimed by both, and its port facilities constituted Ethiopia’s only access to the sea. But for many years these two countries battled for possession of the Ogaden region, resulting in millions of refugees. Djibouti dutifully absorbed and cared for the displaced populations, comprising the same Issa and Afar people dominating their country. The refugees caused a tremendous drain on national resources, however, and Gouled Aptidon worked as a regional mediator, promoting peace and dialogue between the warring parties. His efforts succeeded in April 1988, when Ethiopia and Somalia reestablished diplomatic relations and tensions eased. As an added measure of security, Gouled Aptidon also relied upon the presence of a 5,000-strong French garrison as a guarantor of Djibouti independence.