Aden Robleh Awaleh

Aden Robleh Awaleh (born 1941 [http://web.archive.org/web/20030814044605/www.pnd-djibouti.org/2_biographie/president1.htm Biographical page at PND website] (2003 archive page) fr icon.] ) is a Djiboutian politician and President of the National Democratic Party (PND)."Political Parties of the World" (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, pages 180–181.] He is currently a member of the National Assembly of Djibouti.

Awaleh, an Issa, [ [http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2d5a2,469f3882c,0.html "Chronology for Afars in Djibouti"] , Minorities at Risk Project (UNHCR Refworld), 2004.] was born in Ali-Sabieh. Opposing French colonial rule in Djibouti, he went to Somalia in 1969 and became the leader of the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast (FLCS). As a result of his activities, he was convicted of "endangering state security" "in absentia" by the French authorities in 1970 and sentenced to 27 years in prison. He was later arrested in Somalia in 1975 for "anti-revolutionary" activities and spent a year in solitary confinement there. He was attacked and injured on June 24, 1977, three days before Djibouti became independent from France; his injuries caused him to be hospitalized for a year.

In the period following independence, he was a member of the government, Vice-President of the Popular Rally for Progress (RPR) ruling party, and a member of the RPR Political Bureau. He was included in the first post-independence government, named on July 15, 1977, as Minister of the Port, [ [http://www.presidence.dj/jo/1977/decr010pr77.htm "Décret n°77-010/PR portant nomination des ministres de la République de Djibouti."] , Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, July 15, 1977 fr icon.] and he was subsequently moved to the position of Minister of Commerce, Transport, and Tourism in 1978. ["Nov 1978 - Cabinet Reorganization under New Prime Minister", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume XXIV, November, 1978 Djibouti, Page 29308.] He was also elected to the National Assembly in 1982. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20051202014207/http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/quiestqui.html Short CV at National Assembly website] fr icon.] In 1983, he denounced the authoritarianism of the RPR's single-party regime and resigned from his government and party positions.

A book written by Awaleh, "Djibouti: Key to the Red Sea" ("Djibouti Clef de la Mer Rouge"), was published in February 1986. He clandestinely left Djibouti in May 1986 and went into exile in France. As an exiled opposition leader, he founded the Djiboutian National Movement for the Establishment of Democracy and the Union of Democratic Movements while in France. In Djibouti, he was accused of "attempting to destabilize the government and murder senior officials" and was sentenced "in absentia" to life in prison on September 7, 1986, along with two others. ["Jun 1987 - Internal and foreign policy developments", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 33, June, 1987 Djibouti, Page 35180.]

In 1992, Awaleh founded the National Democratic Party (PND) in Paris. [http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,QUERYRESPONSE,,DJI,3ae6aac550,0.html "Djibouti: Political opposition parties (This Response replaces an earlier version dated 13 January 1999.] ", Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (UNHCR Refworld), DJI31018.FE, 1 February 1999.] Immediately after a successful referendum was held on the introduction of multiparty politics, Awaleh announced on September 7, 1992 that he intended to return to Djibouti within days and would seek the legalization of his National Democratic Party (PND). [ [http://search.lesechos.fr/archives/1992/LesEchos/16218-87-ECH.htm?xtor=AL-4001 "Djibouti : 96,63 % de « oui » au référendum constitutionnel"] , "Les Echos", September 8, 1992, n° 16218, page D fr icon.] The PND was then established in Djibouti on September 13, 1992. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031226062844/www.pnd-djibouti.org/4_activites/act1995.htm "Discours de M. ADEN ROBLEH AWALEH, Président du PND"] , PND website (2003 archive page), September 13, 1995 fr icon.] He received 12% of the vote in the May 1993 presidential election, placing third; along with the other opposition candidates, he denounced the election as fraudulent. ["May 1993 - Presidential elections", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 39, May, 1993 Djibouti, Page 39451.]

On October 27, 1995, a PND protest was broken up by the police and Awaleh was among those arrested. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20031226062844/www.pnd-djibouti.org/4_activites/act1995.htm "Une manifestation de l'opposition dispersée par la police à Djibouti"] , AFP (PND website, 2003 archive), 27 October 1995 fr icon.] Accused of organizing an illegal protest, he received a suspended sentence of one month imprisonment in November 1995. At this time, he was the head of an opposition coalition, the Union of Democratic Movements. ["Nov 1995 - Untitled", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 41, November, 1995 Djibouti, Page 40813.] He stood as the first candidate on the PND's candidate list for Ali Sabieh Region (the only district in which the party presented candidates) in the December 1997 parliamentary election, [ [http://www.presidence.dj/LES%20TEXTES/decr0175pr97.htm "Décret n°97-0175/PRE abrogeant et remplaçant le décret n°97-0170/PRE portant publication des listes de candidats et ouverture de la campagne électorale pour les élections législatives du 19 décembre 1997."] , "Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti", December 16, 1997 fr icon.] but the party did not win any seats.

The PND experienced internal division in the late 1990s. In May 1997, Awaleh suspended PND spokesman Farah Ali Wabert from the party, a move that reportedly exacerbated the situation. By November 1998, a rival leadership under Mahdi Ahmed Abdillahié controlled the PND headquarters, and in December 1998 Awaleh was reported to be missing. The factions apparently reconciled by 2002. [ [http://www.afrique-express.com/archive/EST/djibouti/djiboutipol/259deuxnouveauxpartis.htm "Deux nouveaux partis politiques à l’approche des législatives 2003"] , "Afrique Express", N°259, November 29, 2002 fr icon.]

In September 1998, Awaleh accused Ismail Omar Guelleh of working to make Djibouti a colony of Ethiopia. Awaleh and the PND supported opposition candidate Moussa Ahmed Idriss in the April 1999 presidential election; Guelleh officially won the election with 75% of the vote, but Awaleh alleged that this was due to "massive fraud" and said that Idris had actually won. [Marc Perelman, [http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_jeune_afrique.asp?art_cle=LIN31056adenrhelawa0 "Aden Robleh Awaleh"] (interview), Jeuneafrique.com, May 31, 1999 fr icon.] During the election, he served on the district supervision commission in Ali-Sabieh District as Idris' representative. [ [http://www.presidence.dj/page71.html "Décret n°99-0037/PR/MID portant création des commissions de supervision pour les élections présidentielles du 09 avril 1999."] , "Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti", March 24, 1999 fr icon.] Awaleh was denied a passport on June 5, 2000, preventing him from travelling to Nigeria for an African Leadership Forum. [ [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/af/665.htm "Djibouti: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000"] , US Department of State, February 23, 2001.] In April 2001, Awaleh was convicted and given a six-year suspended sentence for alleged involvement in an terrorist attack at the Cafe du Paris in Djibouti in 1990; although prosecutors said that Awaleh was the leading figure in the plot, he was given the lightest sentence of the four defendants. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1269048.stm "Four sentenced for Djibouti cafe blast"] , BBC News, April 9, 2001.]

Awaleh and the PND left the opposition and participated in the January 2003 parliamentary election as part of the ruling coalition, the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP), which won all the seats in the National Assembly. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2645555.stm "President's backers win Djibouti poll"] , BBC News, January 11, 2003.] Awaleh was included as the seventh candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti [ [http://www.presidence.dj/LES%20TEXTES/decr0261pr02.htm "Décret n°2002-0261/PR/MID Portant publication des listes des candidats en vue des élections législatives du vendredi 10 janvier 2003."] , Journal Officiel de la République de Djibouti, December 25, 2002 fr icon.] and therefore won a seat. [ [http://www.adi.dj/archives/adi0103/adi3534D210103.htm "Liste des 65 députés de la 5ème Législature (2003-2008)"] , ADI, 21 January 2003 fr icon.]

On March 10, 2004, Awaleh was chosen by the National Assembly as one of Djibouti's five members of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP); [ [http://www.adi.dj/archives/adi0204/adi5317d100304.htm "Tenue d'une session extraordinaire de l'Assemblée Nationale"] , ADI, 10 March 2004 {fr icon.] [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2004/ln30/national.htm "Trois projets de lois adoptés en session extraordinaire"] , "La Nation", March 11, 2004 fr icon.] as a result, he was present for the opening of the PAP later in the month, and he was elected as a member of the Pan-African Parliament's "ad hoc" committee responsible for verification of powers. [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2004/ln36/national5.htm "Le Parlement Panafricain sur les rails"] , "La Nation", March 25, 2004 fr icon.] In the National Assembly of Djibouti, he has served as a member of the Legislation and General Administration Commission. [ [http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/comspecial.html Page on parliamentary commissions] at National Assembly website fr icon.]

Awaleh and the PND supported Guelleh in the April 2005 presidential election. [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2004/ln119/national.htm "Le RPP plébiscite son candidat"] , "La Nation", October 11, 2004 fr icon.] [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2005/ln15/national.htm "UMP : quatre partis, un candidat"] , "La Nation", February 7, 2005 fr icon.] On February 21, 2007, Awaleh was re-elected as President of the PND. [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2007/ln23/national6.htm "Aden Robleh réélu à la tête du PND"] , "La Nation", February 22, 2007 fr icon.] He was a member of the general staff of the UMP's campaign for the February 2008 parliamentary election. [ [http://www.lanation.dj/news/2008/ln13/national5.htm "Le rendez-vous d'Ali-Sabieh"] , "La Nation", January 31, 2008 fr icon.] In the same election, he was the fourth candidate on the UMP's candidate list for the District of Djibouti. [ [http://www.adi.dj/fr/services.php?m=article&id=10045&a=1 "Liste des 65 candidats de l’UMP pour les législatives de février 2008"] , ADI, 22 January 2008 fr icon.] He was re-elected to a seat, and after the election, he was designated as the representative of the National Assembly in the Pan-African Parliament on 25 February 2008. [ [http://www.adi.dj/fr/services.php?m=article&id=10156&a=1 "Désignation des présidents des Commissions de l’Assemblée Nationale"] , ADI, 25 February 2008 fr icon.]

ee also

* List of members of the Pan-African Parliament

References