Comparison

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Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	DjiboutiReviewed	South SudanIndexed
Legal family	Civil law with Islamic and customary personal status	Common law with customary law
System of government	Semi-presidential republic	Transitional government of national unity
Constitution	Constitution of the Republic of Djibouti	Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan
In force since	1992	2011
Capital	Djibouti	Juba
Official languages	Arabic, French, Somali, Afar	English, Arabic, Dinka, Nuer
Currency	Djiboutian franc (DJF)	South Sudanese pound (SSP)
Population	1,140,000	11,100,000
Division of powers	Unitary, with five regions and the capital district. Regional councils were introduced by the decentralisation laws of 2002 and hold limited local competences; there is no legislative devolution.	Decentralised in form, with states and administrative areas whose number has changed repeatedly — from ten at independence to twenty-eight, then thirty-two, and back to ten plus administrative areas under the 2018 agreement. Local government includes county and payam tiers and statutory customary authorities.
How law is made	Bills originate with the government or with deputies, are examined in committee and adopted by the National Assembly. Organic laws require referral to the Constitutional Council before promulgation. The President promulgates within fifteen days and may request a second deliberation. The government may legislate by ordinance under an enabling statute, subject to later ratification.	Bills are introduced by ministers or members, considered in committee and passed by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, with the Council of States participating on matters affecting the states. The President assents. Because the legislature is constituted by power-sharing quota rather than election, and because several key bills including the permanent constitutional process have stalled, the process is transitional rather than settled.
Legal profession	A small avocat profession organised in a single bar in the capital, admitted on the French model after a law degree and professional training, frequently completed abroad. Notaries handle conveyancing and company formation. Judges are career appointments, and the limited size of the profession means many practitioners move between bench, bar and government service.	Advocates are admitted through the Ministry of Justice and represented by the South Sudan Bar Association, and the profession is small relative to need, with many practitioners trained in Uganda, Kenya or Sudan. Judicial numbers are low and vacancies persistent, which is a large part of why customary courts carry most of the dispute-resolution load.

A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.