The Djibouti Gendarmerie was created on June 6, 1977, headed by a civil authority bearing the title of Director General.

In 1978, the post of Director General was abolished and the Institution was placed under the authority of the Chief of Staff of the Djiboutian Armed Forces.

It was placed under the direct authority of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Gendarmerie is administered and commanded in the same way as the other Corps of the army, the important decisions being centralized, at the level of the high military command.

The Institution does not benefit from any specific policy and subject to the general employment policy in force in all military formations, and this on all levels: personnel administration, financial and budgetary administration, instructions and internships, etc.

In this situation of war and its events, the workforce of the Institution was refloated, in particular with the incorporations within the framework of the general mobilization.