Thousands of illegal immigrants leaving ahead of deadline

Thousands of illegal immigrants are leaving Djibouti ahead of a deadline imposed by the government in the tiny Horn of Africa country, a local journalist told IRIN on Monday. Djibouti Interior Minister Abdiqadir Du'ale Wa'ays last month warned illegal immigrants to leave by the end of August or face expulsion. "In the last three weeks, over 10,000 illegal immigrants have left of their own accord to beat the deadline," the journalist said. "If any of them are caught after 31 August they will probably be forcibly deported and will not be allowed to take anything with them." The Djibouti news agency (ADI) on Monday quoted Wa'ays as saying that "several thousand illegal migrants have spontaneously responded to my appeal by leaving our country, in families or individually, to return to their respective countries with their goods or personal effects". "Everything is proceeding without incident," he added. According to the journalist, the crackdown on illegal immigrants - who mainly come from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen - is thought to be motivated by pressure from Western governments "which have a military presence in the country". US, French, Spanish and German forces are based in Djibouti as part of the global fight against terrorism. Many of the immigrants work as domestic workers, gardeners and day labourers. "A very small number own small businesses, such as shops and restaurants," the journalist said.