Editing Obock (section)

===Djibouti===
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]]. Obock is expected to be the site of the [[Chinese naval base in Djibouti]].<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/confirmed-construction-begins-on-chinas-first-overseas-military-base-in-djibouti/ |title=Confirmed: Construction Begins on China's First Overseas Military Base in Djibouti |first=Ankit |last=Panda |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514232104/https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/confirmed-construction-begins-on-chinas-first-overseas-military-base-in-djibouti/ |archive-date=May 14, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://eng.mod.gov.cn/Press/2016-02/25/content_4644801.htm |title=Defense Ministry's regular press conference on Feb.25 |date=February 15, 2016 |publisher=[[Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China]]  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518022718/http://eng.mod.gov.cn/Press/2016-02/25/content_4644801.htm |archive-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

Obock has become a key stop in the route for illegal migration from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, being the location from where smugglers take migrants on boats to Yemen.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/06/13/the-deadly-journey-to-the-gulf |title=The deadly journey to the Gulf |work=The Economist |date=13 June 2024 |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>