View source for Dikhil

{{more citations needed|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Dikhil
| native_name                     = {{lang|ar|دخل}}
| image_skyline                   = Porte de Dikhil.JPG
| imagesize                       = 300px
| image_caption                   = Entrance to Dikhil
| settlement_type                 = Town
| image_seal                      = 
| image_map                       = 
| map_caption                     = 
| pushpin_map                     = Djibouti#Horn of Africa#Africa
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location within Djibouti##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa
| pushpin_relief                  = 1
| subdivision_type                = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type1               = [[Regions of Djibouti|Region]]
| subdivision_name                = {{DJI}}
| subdivision_name1               = [[Dikhil Region|Dikhil]]
| subdivision_type2               = 
| subdivision_name2               = 
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = 
| government_type                 = 
| leader_title                    = 
| leader_name                     = 
| area_magnitude                  = 
| area_total_sq_mi                = 
| area_total_km2                  = 9.963 
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 
| area_land_km2                   = 
| area_urban_sq_mi                = 
| area_urban_km2                  = 
| area_metro_km2                  = 
| area_metro_sq_mi                = 
| population_as_of                = 2024 census
| population_footnotes            =  <ref name="pop"/>
| population_total                = 27,378
| population_urban                = 
| population_metro                = 
| population_density_sq_mi        = auto
| population_density_km2          = auto
| timezone                        = [[East Africa Time|EAT]]
| utc_offset                      = +3
| timezone_DST                    = 
| utc_offset_DST                  = 
| coordinates                     = {{coord|11|06|30|N|42|22|16|E|region:DJ|display=inline}}
| elevation_footnotes             = 
| elevation_m                     = 507
| elevation_ft                    = 
| postal_code_type                = 
| postal_code                     = 
| area_code                       = 
| website                         = 
| footnotes                       = 
}}

'''Dikhil''' ({{langx|ar|دخيل}}) is a town in the western [[Dikhil Region]] of [[Djibouti]]. Lying east of [[Lake Abbe]],  It is situated about {{convert|122|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Djibouti City]] and {{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the border with [[Ethiopia]]. It serves as the [[administration (government)|administrative]] centre of the [[Dikhil Region]], and is home to the [[Afar people|Afar]] and [[Somalis|Somali]] ethnic groups. The town develops [[garden]]s and [[fruit]] [[tree]]s.

==History==
===Prehistory===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
In 1986, the survey work sites were performed by R. Joussaume and researchers ISERST. The engravings oldest discovered to date are from the fourth or third [[millennium]] BC, the most famous is the site of [[Handoga]] near Dikhil where the ruins of a village squares sub circular dry [[stone]] delivered different objects. Including [[ceramic]] shards matching vases used [[brazier]], or containers that can hold [[water]], several choppers and [[microlith]]s, [[blade]]s, [[drill]]s, trenchers basalt, [[rhyolite]] or [[obsidian]]. Also a pearl orange coralline, three glass paste, etc.. There were no trace of metal object.

===French Somaliland===

The village was originally built around the [[well]] of Harrou near a [[wadi]], with houses constructed of mud and stone, the [[Afar people|Afar]] and [[Issa (clan)|Issa]] were the founders of Dikhil. As the village continued to grow after the established of the [[French Somaliland]]. Most of the inhabitants earned their living through [[animal]] husbandry and [[commerce]], and used a well for drinking water. In December 1927, the French colonial authorities sent a military detachment to reconnoiter the region, in order to prepare the installation of a defense post, intended to secure the borders of the French Somaliland. The first [[administrative division]] of the territory, in 1914, defined two zones besides the city of Djibouti: the districts "Dankali" and "Issa". With the occupation of the [[territory]] at the end of the 1920s, the district circles of "Tadjoura" and "Gobad-Dikhil" are created, in 1930, became the capital of a new administrative district, called the Circle of Dikhil. When [[Wilfred Thesiger]] visited Dikhil in May 1934, he was struck by "a most impregnable [[fort]] here" recently constructed by the French colonial authorities. "The walls are twenty feet high, loop-holed, and topped with broken [[glass]] and a [[Barbed wire|barbed-wire]] entanglement. There are two large [[observation]] towers." He believed that garrison stationed there provided its only [[economic]] support, for had "the site any real value it would have been used before this by the natives. On January 17, 1935, Albert Bernard was a colonial administrative student, learned that an Assaïamara raid had looted camps and returned to the west to [[Ethiopia]]. He left accompanied by fifteen or seventeen troops to intercept him. On the morning of the 18th, near Môdathou, south of [[Lake Abbe]], he led an attack against the group, but his troops, although better equipped, were overwhelmed by the number. Albert Bernard is killed, probably cut his throat, as well as all the troops except two. In 1933, an airstrip was built and, three years later, in 1936, [[Ali Sabieh]]'s road was extended to [[Djibouti]]. An [[elementary school]] was established in the village in 1940s, and there were several shops. During [[World War II]], [[Italy]]'s declaration of war on [[France]] and [[Great Britain]] came on 10 June 1940. The Italians did undertake some offensive actions beginning on 18 June.{{sfn|Thompson|Adloff|1968|p=16}} From [[Harrar Governorate]], troops under General Guglielmo Nasi to attack French Somaliland, there was some skirmishes. When the government on 10 July learned that the armistice was not yet put into effect in [[French Somaliland]], President [[Philippe Pétain]] a collaborationist [[Vichy France|government at Vichy]] sent General Gaëtan Germain as his personal representative to correct the situation. Negotiations at [[Dewele]], [[Italian East Africa]] on the local implementation of the armistice were only finally completed on 8 August.{{sfn|Rovighi|1995|p=109}} The [[East Africa Command|Commander-in-Chief, East Africa]], [[William Platt]], codenamed the negotiations for the [[surrender (military)|surrender]] of [[French Somaliland]] "Pentagon", because there were five sides: himself, the Vichy governor, the [[Free French]], the British minister at Addis Ababa and the [[United States]]. [[Christian Raimond Dupont]] surrendered and Colonel Raynal's troops crossed back into French Somaliland on 26 December 1942, completing its liberation. The official handover took place at 10:00&nbsp;p.m. on 28 December.{{sfn|Imbert-Vier|2008|p=172}} The first governor appointed under the [[Free French]] was [[André Bayardelle]]. A local battalion from French Somaliland participated in the [[Liberation of Paris]] in 1944. During the 1970s, the [[Front de Libération de la Côte des Somalis|Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast]] (FLCS), who attacked the French personnel who were patrolling the area.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9drQ9YeLxcC&q=abdourahman+djibouti+independence&pg=PA3|title=Historical Dictionary of Djibouti|isbn=9780810838734|last1=Alwan|first1=Daoud Aboubaker|last2=Aboubaker|first2=Daoud Alwan|last3=Mibrathu|first3=Yohanis|year=2000}}</ref>

===Djibouti===
[[File:Palmeraie de Dikhil.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Palm garden of Dikhil]]
A [[1977 Afars and Issas independence referendum|third independence referendum]] was held in the [[French Territory of the Afars and the Issas]] on 8 May 1977. The previous referendums were held in [[1958 French Somaliland overseas territory referendum|1958]] and [[1967 French Somaliland independence referendum|1967]],<ref name="Kseoah">Kevin Shillington, ''Encyclopedia of African history'', (CRC Press: 2005), p.360.</ref> which rejected [[independence]]. This referendum backed independence from [[France]].<ref>Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p. 322 {{ISBN|0-19-829645-2}}</ref> A landslide 98.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially marking [[Independence Day (Djibouti)|Djibouti's independence]]. Following the conclusion of the 1977-1978 [[Ogaden War]], Dikhil along with Ali Sabieh accommodated three quarters of the 8,000 [[Issa (clan)|Issas]] who had fled from [[Ethiopia]]. In 1979, the first President of independent Djibouti [[Hassan Gouled Aptidon]] in Dikhil the party founded the [[People's Rally for Progress]], which has since dominated the politics of [[Djibouti]], its led by President [[Ismail Omar Guelleh]] and is in a coalition [[government]] with [[Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy]] (FRUD) and other parties.

==Overview==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
Dikhil is connected to other environs by [[National Highway 1 (Djibouti)|RN-1 National Highway]]. Public buses go from [[Djibouti City]] to Dikhil. It takes three hour to get to Dikhil. A contracted bus ride from Djibouti city to Dikhil can charge between 750 [[Djiboutian franc]].
This is a summer tourist destination for [[Djibouti]] thanks to its healthy climate and its location on the road to [[Lake Abbe]]. Dikhil is located 12 kilometers from the Ethiopian border and approximately 100 kilometers beyond [[Djibouti City]]. It is a population center for the South west area, a frontier town with about 54,000 people.

==Demographics==
As of the 2024 census, the population of Dikhil was at 27,378.<ref name="pop">{{Cite web |title=Dikhil (City, Djibouti) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/djibouti/admin/dikhil/31__dikhil/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> The town inhabitants belong to various mainly [[Afro-Asiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]]-speaking ethnic groups, but the [[Afar people|Afar]] and the [[Issa (clan)|Issa Somali]] are predominant.

==Transport==
[[File:Place Bernard à Dikhil.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Bernard square]]
As an inland area, Dikhil's transportation system is largely road-based. For air transportation, the city is served by the [[Dikhil Airport]].

==Economy==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}
Dikhil is one of Djibouti's main agricultural areas, with the local economy largely centered around farming. The town serves as a commercial transit point for goods between [[Djibouti City]] and [[Ethiopia]]. The city was visited by more than 6,000 tourists over the years. Ethiopian trucks and traders frequently pass through the town.

==Climate==
Dikhil is situated on a spur of a plateau in the Okarre Mountains.

Dikhil has a [[hot arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BWh'') with hot and dry, prolonged summers and mild winters. However, due to the town's altitude and inland location, its [[climate]] features are the [[humidity]] is very low, and [[temperature]]s usually fall on 28&nbsp;°C (82&nbsp;°F) at night, which makes summer particularly pleasant compared to coastal cities. The rainy season extends from July to October. From November to February, the town experiences the mild [[winter]] season. It heats up from June to October, though the nights are pleasant. This [[elevation]] gives the settlement and the surrounding area a milder climate than the [[Djibouti city]] coastal area, where the weather is typically hot.<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web|title=Climate: Dikhil - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/31639/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|accessdate=25 September 2013}}</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Dikhil
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 27.0
|Feb high C = 27.3
|Mar high C = 28.0
|Apr high C = 28.2
|May high C = 31.1
|Jun high C = 35.5
|Jul high C = 38.0
|Aug high C = 37.5
|Sep high C = 33.4
|Oct high C = 29.3
|Nov high C = 28.2
|Dec high C = 27.5
|Jan low C = 17.2
|Feb low C = 18.8
|Mar low C = 20.0
|Apr low C = 21.6
|May low C = 23.3
|Jun low C = 25.5
|Jul low C = 27.0
|Aug low C = 26.3
|Sep low C = 25.5
|Oct low C = 22.2
|Nov low C = 19.4
|Dec low C = 17.7
|rain colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 7
|Feb precipitation mm = 8
|Mar precipitation mm = 10
|Apr precipitation mm = 28
|May precipitation mm = 9
|Jun precipitation mm = 3
|Jul precipitation mm = 29
|Aug precipitation mm = 41
|Sep precipitation mm = 38
|Oct precipitation mm = 8
|Nov precipitation mm = 6
|Dec precipitation mm = 2
| source 1 = ''Climate-Data.org'', altitude: 482m<ref name="Climate-Data.org"/>
}}

==Notable people==
*[[Daher Ahmed Farah]], Djiboutian politician
*[[Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed]], Djiboutian politician

==Sister towns==
{| class="wikitable" "text-align:left;font-size:100%;"|
|-
! style="background:#39e; color:white; height:17px; width:120px;"| Country
! ! style="background:#39e; color:white; width:140px;"| Town
|- style="color:black; background:white;"
|! !| {{Flagicon|Yemen}} [[Yemen]]
|! !| [[File:Emblem of Yemen.svg|25px]] [[Dhamar, Yemen|Dhamar]]
|-
|! !| {{Flagicon|Argentina}} [[Argentina]]
|! !| [[File:Coat of arms of Argentina.svg|25px]] [[Pichanal]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite thesis |first=Simon |last=Imbert-Vier |title=Frontières et limites à Djibouti durant la période coloniale (1884–1977) |type=PhD thesis |institution=[[University of Provence|Université de Provence–Aix-Marseille I]] |year=2008 |url=https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00736163}}
* {{cite book |last=Rovighi |title=Le operazioni in Africa orientale (giugno 1940 – novembre 1941) |series=Volume II: Documenti |publisher= Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito |location=Rome |year=1995}}
* {{cite book |title=Djibouti and the Horn of Africa |first1=Virginia McLean |first2=Richard |last1=Thompson |last2=Adloff |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1968}}

==External links==
*[http://www.maplandia.com/djibouti/dikhil/dikhil/dikhil/ Satellite map at Maplandia.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715171256/http://regiondikhil.com/]

{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|11|07|N|42|22|E|region:DJ_type:city|display=title}}

[[Category:Populated places in Djibouti]]