Ali Aref Bourhan

Ali Aref Bourhan (Arabic: علي عارف برهان; born 1934) is a Djiboutian politician.

Ali Aref Bourhan
علي عارف برهان
Bourhan in 1971
1st President of the Government Council of the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
In office Jul 7, 1967 – Jul 29, 1976
Succeeded by	Abdallah Mohamed Kamil
4th Vice President of the Government Council of French Somaliland
In office 8 June 1960 – Oct 19 1966
Preceded by	Ahmed Dini Ahmed
Succeeded by	Abdallah Mohamed Kamil
Personal details
Born	1934 (age 90–91) Tadjoura, French Somaliland
Political party	UNI

Early years

Bourhan was born in 1934 in the coastal city of Tadjoura, situated in eastern present-day Djibouti. He hailed from a prominent local Afar family, the Abourbakers (descendants of Abubakr Ibrahim Chehem). He also has a Gadabursi grandmother from Zeila.^[1][2][3]

As a young man in the 1950s, Bourhan began his professional career as a teacher. He also ran the town's Afar and Somali youth club.^[2]

Political career

Bourhan entered politics under the aegis of Ibrahim Sultan, the then Sultan of Tadjoura. Through the latter, he was introduced to Mahmoud Harbi, the Vice President of the Government Council of French Somaliland and a former comrade of the Sultan in the French army during the World War II campaign. Bourhan would subsequently serve in the territory's representative council as a Harbist politician, strongly supporting Harbi's independence-oriented platform. In 1958, Harbi disappeared from the local political scene,^[2] having been exiled to Cairo by the French authorities.^[4] He died in a plane crash two years later under mysterious circumstances.^[4][5]

In 1960, with the fall of the ruling Dini administration, Bourhan assumed the seat of Vice President of the Government Council of French Somaliland, representing the UNI party.^[1][2] He would hold that position until 1966. This was because he announced his to resign decision on Radio Djibouti that he would devote himself more fully to preparing for the next referendum that will determine the political future.^[6]

In July of the following year, he was elected President of the Government Council of the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. Bourhan served in that capacity until July 29, 1976, the eve of Djibouti's independence. He was succeeded in office by Abdallah Mohamed Kamil.^[1]

Private life

Bourhan and his wife Régine in 1971.

He becomes engaged on May 15, 1971 in Carcassonne with Régine Soulé.They divorced in 1980. Ali Aref married second time on May 14, 2014 in Kempeski Palace with the young Djiboutian Ms. Aref Filsane.

Children

Ali Aref Bourhan got a son, Karim Aref Bourhan, who was born in Djibouti on February 7th, 1980.

See also

• Aussa Sultanate