Djibouti profile - Media

Djibouti's sparse media environment is dominated by the state. There are no private TV or radio stations and the government owns the main newspaper and the national broadcaster Radiodiffusion-Television de Djibouti (RTD).

"The repressive [judicial] arsenal deployed against journalists means they live in fear," says media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It says the only Djibouti-based media are used for government propaganda.

A pro-opposition outlet, La Voix de Djibouti, operates online from Belgium.

Djibouti hosts a powerful mediumwave (AM) transmitter which broadcasts US-sponsored Arabic-language Radio Sawa programmes to East Africa and Arabia. Local FM relays carry the BBC (99.2) and American and French external broadcasters.

There were around 550,000 internet users by mid-2019 (InternetWorldStats.com), comprising 56% of the population.

The authorities keep a close eye on opposition websites, often blocking access to them inside Djibouti.

Press

  • La Nation - government-owned daily
  • Djibouti Post - English-language weekly published by La Nation
  • Al-Qarn - government-owned Arabic weekly

Radio

  • Radio Djibouti - operated by RTD; three networks broadcast in Afar, Arabic, French and Somali

Television

News agency/internet