Safia Elmi Djibril
{{Short description|Djiboutian politician and women's rights activist}}Safia Elmi Djibril (born 1963) is a Djiboutian politician and women's rights activist.
She is a member of the National Assembly from the People's Rally for Progress party, which is part of the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority coalition.
Political career
Safia Elmi Djibril first entered politics through her work on Djibouti's health programs.
She is a longtime opponent of female genital mutilation and other traditional practices that are harmful to women and children.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Vice Presidents|url=https://iac-ciaf.net/vice-presidents/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices (IAC)|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last1=Djama|first1=Fatouma Youssouf|last2=Djibril|first2=Safia Elmi|date=November 2009|title=MGF: plaidoiries pour la fin d'un fléau psycho-socio-culturel|url=https://human-village.org/spip.php?article167|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Human Village|language=fr}}{{Cite web|date=2005-02-02|title=Conferenza sub-regionale per l'eliminazione delle mutilazioni genitali femminili|url=http://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/229756/conferenza-sub-regionale-per-leliminazione-delle-mutilazioni-genitali-femminili|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Radio Radicale|language=it}}{{Cite web|last=Saint-Jean|first=Arnaud|date=2001-01-25|title=CONFERENCE SUR LES MUTILATIONS GENITALES FEMININES. A UNE SEMAINE DU GRAND JOUR LE MEDIA SE MOBILISENT|url=http://www.npwj.org/GHR/Sub-Regional-Conference-Female-Genital-Mutilation-Towards-a-political-and-religious-consensus-12|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=La Nation|language=fr}}
= National Assembly =
Djibril is a member of the National Assembly from the People's Rally for Progress party, which is affiliated with the ruling Union for the Presidential Majority coalition.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=8ème Législature|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/Archives/Anciennes-l%C3%A9gislatures/8|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti|language=fr}} She represents Quartier 7, an area of the eponymous capital city.{{Cite web|last=Hared|first=Hassan Cher|date=2019-03-07|title=Djibouti/Somalie : La branche Habar-Awale/Isaaq de la mafia djibouto-somalienne et sa connexion avec les islamistes de la Corne.|url=https://www.hch24.com/actualites/03/2019/djibouti-somalie-la-branche-habar-awale-isaaq-de-la-mafia-djibouto-somalienne-et-sa-connexion-avec-les-islamistes-de-la-corne/|access-date=2021-01-15|website=HCH24|language=fr-FR}}
She was first elected in the 2008 Djiboutian parliamentary election, joining a small number of other women in the chamber including Aïcha Mohamed Robleh and Hasna Barkat Daoud.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=6ème Législature|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/Archives/Anciennes-l%C3%A9gislatures/6|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti}}
Djibril is part of a wave of women who have entered Djibouti's political scene in recent years. There were no women in Djibouti's parliament in 2000, but now the law requires at least 25 percent of legislators be female, a threshold that was nearly met in the 2018 election.{{Cite web|last=Musau|first=Zipporah|date=2019-04-08|title=African Women in politics: Miles to go before parity is achieved|url=https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/african-women-politics-miles-go-parity-achieved|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Africa Renewal|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=IPU PARLINE database: DJIBOUTI (Assemblée nationale), Last elections|url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2089_E.htm|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Inter-Parliamentary Union}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-02-26|title=Djibouti ruling party claims landslide parliamentary win|url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/02/26/djibouti-ruling-party-claims-landslide-parliamentary-win/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Africanews|language=en}}
In 2019, Djibril helped form a women's caucus within the legislature.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-12-17|title=CAUCUS DES FEMMES PARLEMENTAIRES DJIBOUTIENNES (CFPD)|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/actualit%C3%A9s/88/Caucus-des-femmes-parlementaires-djiboutiennes-(CFPD)|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti|language=fr}}
She served as second vice president on President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh's cabinet and as a member of the High Court of Justice.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Membre du bureau du Président|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/pr%C3%A9sidence/membre-du-bureau|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti|language=fr}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-10-02|title=VISITE OFFICIELLE D'UNE DÉLÉGATION DE HAUT NIVEAU DU CONGRÈS DES ETATS-UNIS|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/actualit%C3%A9s/42/Visite-officielle-d%27une-d%C3%A9l%C3%A9gation-de-haut-niveau-du-Congr%C3%A8s-des-Etats-unis|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti|language=fr}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Commission de la haute cour de justice|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.dj/index.php/les-d%C3%A9put%C3%A9s/les-commissions-parlementaires/3/Commission-De-La-Haute-Cour-De-Justice|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Assemblée Nationale de Djibouti|language=fr}}
After the 2023 election, she was named first vice-president of the National Assembly.{{Cite web |title=Le Chef de l’Etat reçoit le nouveau Président de l’Assemblée nationale djiboutienne |url=https://www.presidence.dj/article/le-chef-de-l-etat-recoit-le-nouveau-president-de-l-assemblee-nationale-djiboutienne-1212 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Republique de Djibouti |language=fr}}{{Cite news |date=2023-04-30 |title=Le président de l’Assemblée Nationale a reçu en audience le directeur de l’INSTAD |url=https://www.lanation.dj/le-president-de-lassemblee-nationale-a-recu-en-audience-le-directeur-de-linstad/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=La Nation |language=fr}}
= Pan-African organizations =
Djibril's focus continues to be women and children's health, and she is vice president of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, representing Djibouti's first lady Kadra Mahamoud Haid.{{Cite web|last=Semprini|first=Francesco|date=2018-10-12|title=A Gibuti i militari italiani in prima linea su sicurezza e cooperazione|url=https://www.lastampa.it/esteri/2018/10/12/news/a-gibuti-i-militari-italiani-in-prima-linea-su-sicurezza-e-cooperazione-1.34052104|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=La Stampa|language=it-IT}}
She is a member of the Pan-African Parliament, previously serving as a vice president of the body until 2018.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=2018-05-07|title=Pan African Parliament to swear in new legislators|work=Channel Africa|url=http://www.channelafrica.co.za/sabc/home/channelafrica/news/details?id=3d669381-1a43-4833-924f-00d333e0f0ba&title=Pan%20African%20Parliament%20to%20swear%20in%20new%20legislators|access-date=}}{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=2018-05-15|title=Parlement panafricain: le bureau recomposé|language=fr|work=Cameroon Tribune|url=|access-date=}} She has also worked as part of the Pan-African Parliament's Women's Caucus.{{Cite web|date=2016-07-30|title=UNFPA rallies parliamentarians|url=https://esaro.unfpa.org/en/news/unfpa-rallies-parliamentarians|access-date=2021-01-15|website=UNFPA ESARO|language=en}}