Heavy-Handedness of French, Controlled Election, Nationalism Seeds of Violence - It's easy to blame the French for bloodshed in Djibouti, but harder to figure out a way to avoid it. French pride and heavy-handedness played a big role in the events that led to Monday's rioting and shooting. The day ended with French troops killing at least 12 Africans in tiny French Somaliland, last French colony in Africa. The city was quiet Tuesday and Wednesday, as French troops patrolled the streets. But even without French pride and heavy-handedness, there might have been killing, if not in Djibouti, then elsewhere in this eastern tip of Africa. There is little room to maneuver among the fierce currents of tribalism and nationalism here. The French set up a sham election for independence and then put down the protests with brute force. There were three main reasons for this...

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