Africa
Source tier A. Conventions checked 2026-07-29.
Drug and firearms law in Djibouti: statutes on record and in force
Djibouti, in Africa, is party to 3 of the four instruments tracked here but not to the Firearms Protocol. It appears on neither FATF list. Its legislation on record runs to 3 confirmed instruments, the earliest from 1991. The dates below are the depositary's; the instruments, where any are named, are the register's.
International framework
Djibouti is bound by 3 of the four instruments this dataset tracks, the earliest from 2001 and the most recent from 2005. The exception is the Firearms Protocol, and that exception has consequences: there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
| Instrument | Adopted | Ratified or acceded | Depositary reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 Convention | 1988 | 22 Feb 2001 | Chapter VI-19 |
| UNTOC | 2000 | 20 Apr 2005 | Chapter XVIII-12 |
| UNCAC | 2003 | 20 Apr 2005 | Chapter XVIII-14 |
| Firearms Protocol | 2001 | not a party | Chapter XVIII-12-c |
What each instrument obliges a party to do is set out once, per instrument, in the conventions reference. The dates above are what is specific to Djibouti: they are the points from which each obligation began to bind, taken from the depositary's own status tables.
National legislation
These are the instruments an official source confirms for Djibouti. The list is what could be cited, not necessarily everything in force.
Law no. 145/AN/91/2E of 10 February 1991 on the conditions of practice of pharmacy, Arts. 27-28 (No. 145/) — A principal instrument in its own right, confirmed on the register named below; its subject matter is not stated on the face of its title. Confirmed against the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
Law No. 171/AN/81 on psychotropic substances (No. 171/) — A principal drug control instrument, carrying the 1988 Convention's trafficking and confiscation obligations into domestic law. Confirmed against the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
Penal Code, Chapter II — A code rather than a dedicated statute: the offences sit within the general body of law and are read together with its provisions on attempt, participation and sentencing. Confirmed against the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
Enforcement authorities
One body is named in the record for Djibouti, each confirmed on Djibouti's own government domain. Naming the body matters because the treaty obligations above bind the state, while the powers to act on them sit with particular institutions under national law.
| Body | Function | Confirmed on |
|---|---|---|
| Police Nationale | criminal investigation | interieur.gouv.dj |
Ratification sequence
Which instrument came first says something the total does not. Djibouti came to these instruments over 4 years, beginning with the 1988 Convention in 2001 and ending with the UNCAC in 2005. Measured against each instrument's own adoption, the shortest gap was the UNCAC at 2 years, the longest the 1988 Convention at 13.
Djibouti became a party to the 1988 Convention in 2001, 13 years after it was adopted — slower than the median lag of 5 years across this dataset.
The gaps between those dates are the part worth reading. For the 4 years between 2001 and 2005, Djibouti was bound by the 1988 Convention but not yet by the UNTOC or the UNCAC. The practical effect is on what could be charged, and on what could be confiscated, in the years before the later instruments arrived.
On coverage, Djibouti is one of 22 jurisdiction s here party to 3 of the four, against 81 party to all four. Of the 53 Africa jurisdictions in this dataset, 6 sit under increased monitoring at present.
What is not in force
One of the four instruments does not bind Djibouti, and the gap has specific consequences rather than symbolic ones.
Firearms Protocol — adopted 2001, and Djibouti is not a party. In practice, there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
Financial-crime monitoring
As of the FATF plenary statements of 2026-06-19, Djibouti is recorded as Not listed . Absence from both lists is not a clean bill of health: it means no strategic deficiency has been identified, which is not the same as none existing. The process is described on the FATF grey list tracker.
Questions about drug and firearms law in Djibouti
Which drug-control conventions has Djibouti ratified?
3 of the four instruments tracked here — the 1988 Convention (22 Feb 2001), the UNTOC (20 Apr 2005), the UNCAC (20 Apr 2005). It is not a party to the Firearms Protocol.
Is Djibouti on the FATF grey list?
No. Djibouti appears on neither the increased-monitoring list nor the call-for-action list in the FATF statements of 19 June 2026.
What national drug legislation is on record for Djibouti?
Law no. 145/AN/91/2E of 10 February 1991 on the conditions of practice of pharmacy, Arts. 27-28 (No. 145/), confirmed against the UNODC legal library; Law No. 171/AN/81 on psychotropic substances (No. 171/), confirmed against the UNODC legal library; Penal Code, Chapter II, confirmed against the UNODC legal library.
Which register confirms the legislation on this page?
Each instrument names its own. For Djibouti that is the UNODC legal library. The citation is to the issuing register rather than to any account of it, so the text can be read as enacted.
What is source tier A, and why is this record in it?
Tier A means a national instrument has been confirmed against an official register — for Djibouti, 3 of them. The treaty dates and the listing status are separately sourced, so all three layers of this record carry a citation.
What does it mean that Djibouti is not a party to the Firearms Protocol?
In practice, there is no treaty obligation to mark or trace weapons, so a firearm recovered at a crime scene may have no route back to its point of diversion — the single most common reason a trafficking chain cannot be reconstructed.
Sources
- Ratification dates: United Nations Treaty Collection, depositary status tables (chapters VI-19, XVIII-12, XVIII-14, XVIII-12-c). Checked 2026-07-29.
- Listing status: FATF, Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring and High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action, 2026-06-19.
- Law no. 145/AN/91/2E of 10 February 1991 on the conditions of practice of pharmacy, Arts. 27-28: the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
- Law No. 171/AN/81 on psychotropic substances: the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.
- Penal Code, Chapter II: the UNODC legal library, checked 2026-07-30.