and the colonial powers launched a brutal attack and played communities in Djibouti against each other. The success of the 1976 referendum was a result of joint actions of military organizations such as the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast and pro-independence leaders who came together and advocated with international institutions (UN) and regional institutions (OAU and Arab League) for their inalienable right to independence. 269. Since it achieved national sovereignty, Djibouti has continuously deployed efforts to institute and perfect its political system and thus render it effective to preserve the democratic rights of the nation. Early after independence, two constitutional laws were adopted to establish all principles required for internal and external self-determination of the people of Djibouti. Adoption of the first Constitution in 1992 represented the realization of the right to free determination and embarked the country on a democratic transition process, providing for a multiparty system limited to four parties, which ended in 2002. 270. In order to realize this right and to enable the people of Djibouti to freely determine their political status and economic, social and cultural development, the Government of Djibouti has duly consulted them on a regular basis and within the required time limits. The people of Djibouti have thus been able, over the past 20 years, to participate in referendums and free multiparty elections. The information contained in the common core document and the various reports submitted by the State of Djibouti set out the details of those elections. 271. Constitutional recognition of territorial units (Article 85) in 1992 and their effective establishment with the adoption of a legal framework in 2006 and the law on decentralization and the status of regions are some of the ways of ensuring the sustainable realization of the rights of communities to influence their own destiny. 272. The new provisions reinforce the existing legal framework, which is based on customary law particularly with regard to the traditional management of land in communities in the North and South of the country. The Okals, traditional chiefs of local communities are recognized by the State and consulted on all projects of relevance to them. 273. At the international level, national policy has always been consistent with the principle of the rights of peoples, abstaining from any initiative that may adversely affect its existence or that of other countries (preamble to the Constitution, paragraph 3). 274. Since it achieved national sovereignty, Djibouti has always supported national liberation movements and organizations fighting for the emancipation of their communities, such as the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 275. Against the background of border conflict and civil war in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti has played a decisive role in establishing a peace process. Through the implementation of foreign policy based on the principle of self-determination of peoples, particularly through the various initiatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Djibouti unquestionably contributes to building a culture of peace and regional stability. 51