French Fire Into Crowds Protesting Somaliland Vote

French Fire Into Crowds Protesting Somaliland Vote
March 21, 1967
March 1967
Djibouti, French Somaliland
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French troops Monday fired into crowds of Africans rioting against the results of a referendum on independence in this last French colony in Africa. At least 11 Africans were killed, and 30 were reported wounded. The violence burst the tense calm of the city soon after the government announced that the voters of French Somaliland had rejected independence Sunday in favor of continued French colonial status. The troops, particularly marines and foreign legionnaires, quickly restored the city to quiet after the bloodshed. The Somali quarter of the city, cordoned by barbed wire and patrolled by troops, took on the air of a desolate concentration camp, silent except for the braying of donkeys, motionless except for frightened Africans rushing homeward. But the violence foreshadowed trouble for France. Despite the referendum returns, it is clear that most of the 125,000 people who live in the territory want independence from France...
French troops Monday fired into crowds of Africans rioting against the results of a referendum on independence in this last French colony in Africa. At least 11 Africans were killed, and 30 were reported wounded. The violence burst the tense calm of the city soon after the government announced that the voters of French Somaliland had rejected independence Sunday in favor of continued French colonial status. The troops, particularly marines and foreign legionnaires, quickly restored the city to quiet after the bloodshed. The Somali quarter of the city, cordoned by barbed wire and patrolled by troops, took on the air of a desolate concentration camp, silent except for the braying of donkeys, motionless except for frightened Africans rushing homeward. But the violence foreshadowed trouble for France. Despite the referendum returns, it is clear that most of the 125,000 people who live in the territory want independence from France...
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