The U.S. Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or living in Djibouti that a presidential election has been scheduled for April 8, 2016. There is a possibility that spontaneous protests will occur during the election cycle and some could turn violent. This Travel Alert expires on April 30.
During this time, U.S. citizens should avoid:
- Voter polling places
- Demonstrations
- Political rallies
- Large crowds of any kind
Even gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn violent with little or no warning, as violent clashes at a religious celebration in Balbala on December 21, 2015, demonstrated. At times, the U.S. Embassy may restrict U.S. government personnel from traveling to an area where protests may occur, due to security concerns.
The U.S. Embassy in Djibouti is closely monitoring election activity throughout Djibouti and will provide updates as the situation warrants on the Embassy website and via Facebook and Twitter. Please follow these sites as well as local media, be aware of your surroundings, and exercise good judgment in the coming weeks. General information on preparing for emergencies is available on U.S. Embassy Djibouti’s website.
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution,Travel Warnings including the Travel Warning for Djibouti, Travel Alerts, and the Country Specific Information for Djibouti.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, located at Lotissement Haramous Lot # 350B, Djibouti City, Djibouti, at +(253) 21-45-30-00, Sunday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(253) 77-87-72-29.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
