Djibouti : "Médaille du Mérite National / National Merit Medal"

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,    

 

No information on this decoration.

 

- "Médaille du Mérite National" Chevalier /  Knight :

 

- "Médaille du Mérite National" Officier / Officer :

- AB hallmarks (Arthus-Bertrand) :

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

 

 

 

 

[Karhu]

The Medal of National Merit was established on 31.05.1983 (Ordinance No. 83-057/PR).

 

ORDERED

 Article 1: A National Merit Medal is created to reward the services of officials of the National Security Force.

 

 Article 2: A Star for Acts of Courage and Dedication is created to reward outstanding acts, individual or collective, accomplished by officers and agents of the National Security Force, during security operations, maintenance of order or of war.

 

 Article 3: A Medal of Honor of the National Security Force is created to reward the personnel of this Corps who have served for at least fifteen years with loyalty and fidelity.

 

 Article 4: The particular texts, fixing the conditions of attribution, promotion, handing-over and exclusion of these decorations, appear in annex of the present ordinance.

 

 Article 5: This ordinance, which will be executed as State law, will be published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Djibouti.

 

Djibouti, May 31, 1983
The president of the Republic
Hassan Gouled Aptidon

 

NATIONAL MERIT MEDAL

 

CHAPTER I: ORGANIZATION

 

Article 1: The Medal of National Merit is intended to reward the personnel of the National Security Force whose action in the service of the country has been remarkable, who have been cited at the order of the Republic, or who have been injured in the law enforcement or war stock prices.

 

Article 2: The Medal of Merit constitutes a National Order. This Order is made up of:

- Knights

- Officers

- Grand Officers.

  

Article 3: The President of the Republic, Supreme Head of the National Security Force, is Grand Officer by right of the National Merit Medal and is the only one to be elevated to this rank.

As such, he rules in the last resort on all questions concerning the Order. He retains this rank, on an honorary basis, when he no longer exercises the supreme magistracy.

 

Article 4: The Medal of National Merit is awarded annually by decree of the President of the Republic, who decides on the sight of a table presented jointly by the Minister of the Interior and the Council of the Order.

 

CHAPTER II: THE COUNCIL OF THE ORDER

 

Article 5: The Council of the Order is chaired by the Chef de Corps of the FNS It is composed of three commanders or captains and two representatives of the officers, all appointed by decision of the President of the Republic. He is in charge of the development of the table of appointment or advancement as well as the discipline of the members of the Order.

 

Article 6: The members of the Council of the Order cease their functions as soon as they are allowed to assert their rights to a retirement pension.

 

CHAPTER III: ADMISSION - APPOINTMENT - PROMOTION

 

Article 7: Admission and advancement in the Order of the Medal of National Merit are pronounced within the limit of the quota set by the President of the Republic for a period of four years.

 

Article 8: No one can be named in the Order of the Medal of National Merit if he does not serve, or has served, in the Corps of the National Security Force.

 

Article 9: No one may be directly promoted to Officer in the Order after July 1, 1985.

 

CHAPTER IV: NORMAL PROPOSALS

 

Article 10: To be able to appear on the annual competition table, the seniority conditions are as follows:

- For the rank of Knight: fifteen years of effective service within the Corps;

- For the rank of Officer: five years in the rank of Knight.

 

In addition to these conditions of seniority of service, the candidates must be particularly well noted, and never have incurred a criminal conviction, nor more than 30 days of rigorous arrest or 90 days of arrest in the five years preceding the year of the proposal.

 

CHAPTER V: EXCEPTIONAL PROPOSALS

 

Article 11: The Minister of the Interior is empowered to confer, either directly or by delegation, the Medal of National Merit to any official of the FNS, seriously injured in the performance of his duty, whose life would be immediately in danger. , and found worthy of receiving this distinction.

The regularization of this decision will take place as soon as possible by decree taken by the Council of Ministers. This text must contain the reasons and circumstances that led to this measure.

 

CHAPTER VI: DEROGATORY PROVISIONS

 

Article 12: Until July 1, 1985 the conditions of seniority provided for in Article 10 may not be fulfilled by the candidates. The competition list will however be drawn up, and the procedure defined by Articles 7 to 9 and 13 to 17 will be respected.

 

CHAPTER VII: MODALITIES OF APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION

 

Article 13: Each year, a ministerial circular emanating from the Minister of the Interior fixes the particular conditions of proposal (Ratings - services to be taken into consideration, etc.).

 

Article 14: Upon receipt of the circular cited in Article 13, the heads of detachments and services draw up a classification statement of their candidates, which they send to the Commanding Officer by March 1st.

 

Article 15: The Chef de Corps gathers all the statements that he submits to the Council of the Order, meeting in extraordinary session. The competition table is then drawn up and sent to the Minister of the Interior.

 

Article 16: The Minister of the Interior expresses his opinion regarding each candidacy and presents the table to the President of the Republic.

 

CHAPTER VIII: RECEPTION IN ORDER AND CEREMONIAL

 

Article 18: No one is a member of the Order of the Medal of National Merit before the insignia of his rank have been awarded.

No one may wear, before his reception, either the insignia, the ribbons or the rosettes of the rank to which he has been appointed, promoted or elevated.

 

Article 19: The insignia of the rank of Knight is given by the Commanding Officer. The insignia of Officer is awarded by the Minister of the Interior.

The presentation of the insignia takes place in front of the front of the troops, on July 1 of each year.

 

Article 20: For the rank of Knight, the authority which proceeds to the delivery will pronounce the following words:

 

"Grade....Name.... , for the quality of the services you render to our Nation, the President of the Republic appoints you Knight of the Medal of National Merit, and has personally instructed me to give you this decoration. ."

 

He hands her the badge and gives her the hug.

 

Article 21: For the rank of Officer, the following formula will be pronounced:

 

"Rank....Name....you serve our country with honour, fidelity and loyalty. As a reward for your dedication, I make you an Officer of the Medal of National Merit."

 

He hands her the badge and gives her the hug.

 

CHAPTER IX: CERTIFICATES AND BADGES

 

Article 22: At the end of the award ceremony, a diploma is sent, by the secretariat of the Minister of the Interior, to all the recipients. This diploma, bearing the emblems of the Republic, is initialed by the Minister of the Interior and the Chef de Corps for the knights; by the President of the Republic and the Minister of the Interior for Officers.

 

Article 22: The insignia of the Medal of National Merit is worn immediately after the National Order of the Great Star of Djibouti, and before any other Djiboutian or foreign decoration.

 

Article 24: The insignia of the Medal of National Merit is a round medal, 4 centimeters in diameter, and of uniform old silver color. In its center is engraved a regular star with five branches, point upwards, enclosed in a circle of 14 millimeters in radius. From the upper point comes a regular radiation of 13 rays, not apparent on the star. Two daggers of Akel crossed point downwards are engraved in the center of the star.

On the peripheral part of the medal, 6 millimeters wide, are engraved,

top: Republic of Djibouti; bottom: Ministry of the Interior.

On the reverse it is engraved, above and in a semi-circle, the motto "Fort et Juste"; in the middle: "National Merit"; and below in a semi-circle: Knight or Officer, as the case may be.

This insignia is worn on the left side of the chest, attached by a tricolor moire ribbon 36 millimeters wide. This ribbon is in the national colors blue, white, green, each vertical stripe measuring 12 millimeters wide. The Officer's ribbon has a rosette.

 

Article 25: The insignia of Grand Officer is worn on the right side of the chest. It differs from the insignia of Knight and Officer by its size of 90 millimeters in diameter, and by the fact that the star is enamelled gold, the daggers remaining old silver.

 

Article 26: In ceremonial uniform, in official costume, the National Merit Medal is worn as described in Articles 24 and 25.

In current uniform, the Medal of National Merit is worn as a bar, that is to say in the form of a rectangle of the ribbon of the decoration, one centimeter in height, and wearing or not the rosette, according to rank in the Order. The Grand Officers insert gold half-knots between the bar and the rosette.

The ribbons and rosettes alone are worn on the town dress in the buttonhole: ribbon for the knights, rosette for the officers, rosette on a gold knot for the great officers.

 

CHAPTER X: DISCIPLINE

 

Article 27: The sanctions of the disciplinary procedure provided for the National Order of the Great Star of Djibouti are applicable to the members of the Order of the Medal of National Merit.

 

Article 28: As soon as a member of the FNS, decorated with the Medal of National Merit, fails in honor, the Council of the Order meets within a week and addresses the President of the Republic, through the channel of the Minister of the Interior, a report in which he proposes his sanction.

 

Article 29: The President of the Republic pronounces his decision by decree.

 

CHAPTER XI: ORDER ADMINISTRATION

 

Article 30: The administration of the Order of the Medal of National Merit is the responsibility of the Grand Chancellery of the National Order of the Great Star of Djibouti.

 

CHAPTER XII: ATTRIBUTION TO FOREIGNERS

 

Article 31: The Medal of National Merit may be awarded to foreign officials who have served, or are serving, within the National Security Force, and who, for the quality of their assistance, are entitled to recognition by this Corps.

 

Article 32: A special annual quota is set by the Minister of the Interior for a period of two years.

 

Article 33: The delivery of insignia is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 19, or by any authority hierarchically superior to the Commanding Officer. This surrender may also take place during a parade of arms presided over by an authority hierarchically superior to the Commanding Officer.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Karhu

[Megan]

Magic, thank you very much Karhu!

[No one]

Dear Karhu,

 

Oups! I missed it. Thanks!

 

Here is the original official text:

 

"Article 24 : L'insigne de la Médaille du Mérite National est une médaille ronde, de 4 centimètres de diamètre, et de couleur uniforme vieil argent. En son centre est gravée une étoile régulière à cinq branches, pointe en haut, enserrée dans un cercle de 14 millimètres de rayon. De la pointe supérieure part un rayonnement régulier de 13 rayons, non apparents sur l'étoile. Deux poignards d'Akel entrecroisés pointe en bas sont gravés au centre de l'étoile.

Sur la partie périphérique de la médaille, large de 6 millimètres, sont gravés,

en haut : République de Djibouti ; en bas : Ministère de l'Intérieur.

Au revers il porte gravé, au dessus et en demi-cercle, la devise "Fort et Juste" ; au centre : "Mérite National" ; et dessous en demi-cercle : Chevalier ou Officier, selon le cas.

Cet insigne se porte sur le côté gauche de la poitrine, attaché par un ruban moiré tricolore d'une largeur de 36 millimètres. Ce ruban est aux couleurs nationales bleu, blanc, vert, chaque bande verticale mesurant 12 millimètres de large. Le ruban d'Officier comporte une rosette."

 

One cannot fail to notice that the medal is slightly different from the text of the ordinance.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

 

PS: It doesn't do any harm to start a message with a greeting or am I too old-fashion and need to be "updated"?