By the mid-1930s, new forces were on their way. Already did Japan
left the League of Nations in 1931, followed by the Germans in 1933 as they
were sighting for new territorial conquests. Also Mussolini wanted Italy to be a great power, he had his eye on
Abyssinia.
Based on his former colonies of Somaliland and Eritrea, his troop
launched an attack in the Ogden in December 1934. Emperor Haile Selassie
pleaded in person at the League of Nations, but they were more concerned about
Germany by this very time. This encouraged Mussolini to go further in his plan
and he invaded in October 1935, with the help of a massive air force that
occasionally used gas-bombs.
Abyssinian traditions were to the emperor to lead his cavalry into
battle against Italians tanks, but Haile Selassie was a man of his time. Since he
already had deposed his huge personal fortune in a British bank, Great Britain
had sent the warship Enterprise to Djibouti to rescue him and his family.1936
Abyssinia became an Italian colony after a six months campaign.
Emperor Haile Selassie fled to Britain via Djibouti.
New French socialist government leaded by Leon Blum sends the
young Hubert Deschamps to replace former Governor Pierre Alype.
1938
Abyssinian consulate is closed, as French policy is not to
recognize the authority of the Italian in Abyssinia. Haile Selassie, now in
exile in Jerusalem, would send some money once, but it was soon to be spent.
The consulate is then described by Georges Poisson as:
A series of empty rooms with no other furniture than wooden boxes
on the floor, a few empty drinks and plenty of flies everywhere. His Excellency
the Consul of Abyssinia, Mr. Lidj Andergué, came to me one day and asked to
open a dancing restaurant in the building of the consulate. When we studied about
that we came to the fact that the building did not belong to the Abyssinian
government, that even if they would claim for it, it was never paid for. It is
the reason why this beautiful building stayed unused and empty.
1939
Governor Deschamps decided that the place of the camels, big empty
space by the mosque of Hamoudi, would be renamed to Place Rimbaud. He organized
a ceremony with military parade, speeches and journalists.
1940
June 8th: The last Italian citizens leaved Djibouti.
June 10th: Italy declared war to France.
From the following day, Italian bombers flew to Aden as well as
British bombers to Abyssinia but Djibouti was never attacked.
June 18th: France surrendered. The surrendering act mentions that
troops that had stranded in Djibouti, like Haile SelassieÕs imperial guard,
should stay in arms and that only 50 Italians would occupy the country.
June 19th: French army command in Djibouti refuses to
submit to the Italian and declares to get along with the British.
June 22nd: In respond to that, Italian air force
launches a massive morning air strike on Djibouti. The city has some olds
anti-air guns that were once given to French army by retrieving republican
Spaniards to defend it. The British air force in Aden did not interfere.
Two lines of defense with trenches are dogged in and around the
city.
July 22nd: French Vichy-government sends a new military
governor and the British installs a naval blockade around the city. From that
day, the food would come by train from Italian Addis, and the wounded could not
longer get evacuated.
Sept2nd: New Governor in Djibouti Mr. Noualhetas, with
a strong will to resist to British influence, will be responsible for several
summary executions.
Sept 25th: British air raid outside of Djibouti closes
the railroad and creates a total blockade of the city. Inhabitants will have to
eat their horses and pets during 18 months.
1941
British planes deliver a daily newspaper «Djibouti Libre», a
propaganda for the cause of De Gaulle and his government I exile. In the city,
both Radio-Djibouti and Djibouti Francais are supporting the Vichy government.
In March the British counterattacked and reoccupied northern
Somalia, from which they launched their campaign to retake the whole region
from the Italian and restore Haile Selassie to his throne.
July
27th: French submarine vengeur emerges in Djibouti with 7 tones of
rice, dried milk and medical supply.
Dec
24th: French warship d´Iberville and submarine Glorieux arrived in
Djibouti with hundreds of tones of supply.
1942
Feb
16th: French cargo Bougainville unloads tones of supply from
Madagascar. A few days later, everybody cheered goodbye when it left with the
wounded, 10 women, seven children, 45 Europeans and 50 colonial troops. But the
British sank it in May, just outside of Diego-Suarez.
In
October, other French colonies in Africa had changed side and joined the free
French forces led by General Giraud. So did the French administration of
Djibouti in early November.
1944
A
local battalion from Djibouti participated in the liberation of France.
1945
The
Potsdam Conference decided not to return to Italy the African territory it had
seized during the war.
