Resisting an autocratic system is not an easy task. As one can imagine, it is a risky commitment that can be irreparable. I can attest to this fact, having experienced it for decades. I have been arrested countless times, imprisoned, and mistreated. I suffered physical violence. I experienced psychological abuse, with constant surveillance, as well as a wide range of threats and other verbal assaults. I was deprived of jobs and other livelihood activities. I survived several assassination attempts. My relatives, friends, and comrades were also targeted. Because of all this, I made the difficult decision to leave my beloved country. I went into exile two times, spending many years abroad and attempted to fight the good fight from distant locations.
For the second time, I have made the decision to return to Djibouti, my sweet but unlucky home. I will be back by the end of this month. Yes, I want to reunite with my fellow citizens. I want to be among them, joined in work and in spirit. I want to see them again, to feel them again. I want to share again in their suffering, which is also mine. We need to assess the present to move forward and ensure a decent future for our children. We are indeed linked collectively in this noble struggle for our dignity.
In Djibouti, for the regime that remains in power, it is business as usual. And the situation has gone from bad to worse. For example, I know they have started organizing a new electoral farce scheduled for February 24. They call it a ‘parliamentary election.’ But what an ugly joke. The regime has refused to implement the Political Agreement, signed with the opposition almost a decade ago, in December 2014. To this day, there have been no democratic reforms, including a pathway for opposition voices to be heard and duly elected. The government has also refused to implement, in good faith, the Joint Independent National Electoral Commission, a fundamental body they agreed to after immense public pressure and mass protests.
Of course, the regime does not see my return to Djibouti as good news. It is a highly suspicious move in their eyes, and they have reacted accordingly. If history is any guide, I can predict that party members will be prevented from welcoming me at the airport. The highly partisan police, the gendarmerie, and the notorious intelligence services will be on high alert the day of my return. An army of informants and henchmen will be mobilized against me and our party, which is the oldest and by far the most persecuted in all of Djibouti. For us, these assaults have become the norm – despite a decision by the UN Human Rights Committee on November 4, 2020 that demanded a reversal of the decree that banned our party.
All of this repression, all of these attacks and affronts against me and my party will indeed occur – likely in broad daylight – just a few kilometers from the most powerful democracies in the world. Their embassies and many military bases are situated nearby. I will not be far from the United States Embassy and their military base; the same holds true for the French, Japanese and others. I remember U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying on March 30, 2021: “President Biden has committed to putting human rights back at the center of American foreign policy, and that’s a commitment that I and the entire Department of State take very seriously. We will bring to bear all the tools of our diplomacy to defend human rights and hold accountable perpetrators of abuse. … All people are entitled to these rights, no matter where they’re born, what they believe, whom they love, or any other characteristic. Human rights are also co-equal; there is no hierarchy that makes some rights more important than others.’’ These words sound great, but action is needed today.
Democrats have an obligation to support democrats. This is my personal plea.
No matter what, my comrades and I in Djibouti will keep standing tall for our freedom and our basic human rights. We have no choice but to stand for them, as freedom fighters the world over have done throughout history up until today. As I make my return home this week, I am eager to see which democrats and what democratic nations will stand up with us? Who will support our long-standing and legitimate resistance to tyranny and one-party rule? History will tell.
Dr. Daher Ahmed Farah is a social scientist, veteran human rights activist, independent journalist, and president of the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD), the oldest and main opposition party in Djibouti.
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