Final answer:
The nation formerly known as French Somaliland and then the French Territory of the Afars & Issas is Djibouti. It was a French colony before becoming an independent country and has faced various post-independence challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
The African nation that was once called French Somaliland and then the French Territory of the Afars & Issas is Djibouti. Initially, France took control of this region known as French Somaliland in East Africa during their late 19th-century colonial expansion, which also included territories in West and Central Africa.
France hoped to build an east-west railway connecting its African possessions, which would have linked French Somaliland with the western and central parts of the continent. However, it was from French Somaliland that France launched expeditions in an attempt to gain control of Sudan. Djibouti eventually transitioned from a French colony to an independent country, but like many other African nations, it faced political infighting and economic challenges post-independence.