Djibouti - Government Following the overthrow of the Ethiopian President, Mengistu Haile Mariam, in May 1991, Djibouti established good relation with the successor transitional Government in that country. In June Djibouti hosted a preliminary conference of groups for southern Somalia, aimed at forming a transitional Somali government. In October the borders between Djibouti and Somalia were reopened for the first time since May 1989, when they had been closed as a result of civil unrest in Somalia. Relations with the self-proclaimed "Republic of Somaliland", which declared independence in 1991, were increasingly strained during 1995. In August there were reports of clashes along the border, apparently between local militia groups from Djibouti and Somaliland troops. In June 1996, however, Djibouti and Somaliland concluded an agreement, which included provisions for co-operation on border security and the establishment of trade relations, moreover, in November 1997 Djibouti granted official recognition to Somaliland. In December 1995 the Djibouti Government protested to the Eritrean authorities about alleged incursions by Eritrean troops into north-eastern Djibouti. These allegations were vehemently denied by Eritrea. Relations between the two countries were strained in April 1996, when President Gouled rejected a map of Eritrea submitted by the Eritrean Minister of Foreign Affairs, which reportedly included a 20-km strip of territory belonging to Djibouti. Concurrently, reports emerged of exchanges of artillery fire at a frontier post in northern Djibouti; Eritrea denied the incident. Relations with Israel improved during 1995. After a meeting between officials in September, plans were announced to open liaison offices in the countries´ capitals, prior to the possible establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states. Ismail Omar Guelleh, the handpicked successor of outgoing Djiboutian president Hassan Gouled Aptidon, defeated Moussa Ahmed Idriss in Djibouti´s April 9, 1999, presidential election. Ismail Omar Guelleh, who won about 75 percent of the vote, was due to take office in May 1999. Hassan Aptidon Gouled had served as president since Djibouti gained independence from France in 1977.