276.The purpose of the various conferences held with a view to reconciling the Somalis and the many initiatives undertaken by the Djibouti authorities to support the Somali Government in facing the Shababs, as well as to support populations victims of drought or terrorism, is to restore the conditions required for the realization of the right of the Somalis to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic and social development according to the policy they have freely chosen. 3. The right of peoples to freely dispose of their resources and wealth Article 21 1. All peoples shall freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources. This right shall be exercised in the exclusive interest of the people. In no case shall a people be deprived of it. 2. In case of spoliation, the dispossessed people shall have the right to the lawful recovery of its property as well as to an adequate compensation. 3. The free disposal of wealth and natural resources shall be exercised without prejudice to the obligation of promoting international economic cooperation based on mutual respect, equitable exchange and the principles of international law. 4. State Parties to the present Charter shall individually and collectively exercise the right to free disposal of their wealth and natural resources with a view to strengthening African Unity and solidarity. 5. State Parties to the present Charter shall undertake to eliminate all forms of foreign exploitation particularly that practised by international monopolies so as to enable their peoples to fully benefit from the advantages derived from their national resources. 277. Djibouti has few known mineral resources other than geothermal resources, the exploitation of which requires significant financial resources. The exploitation of natural resources by the State and, accordingly, by business enterprises has never been detrimental to national communities. 278. Salt production at Lake Assal is a good example of compliance with the provisions of the Charter (paragraph 1 article 21). In order to safeguard the rights of access of local populations to natural resources, the State, having entrusted semi-industrial exploitation to local companies, has also effectively preserved the traditional exploitation of this resource. This ensures that sufficient benefits are derived for local populations, who are given priority access to resulting employment opportunities and the possibility of forming partnerships in the salt business. 279. An arid climate as well as the need to facilitate access to water for populations prompted government authorities to drill boreholes as early as 1977 and to reinforce this system in light of increased drought periods in the past few years. 52