UNHCR struggling to cope with asylum seekers

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says it is struggling to cope with thousands of illegal immigrants who thronged to a transit centre in Djibouti in an attempt to apply for asylum and legalise their stay, ahead of a government deadline to leave the country. Djibouti Interior Minister Abdiqadir Du'ale Wa'ays in July warned illegal immigrants to leave by the end of August or face expulsion, but the deadline was later extended until 15 September. The crackdown on illegal immigrants - who mainly come from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen - is thought to be motivated by economic and security concerns. UNHCR said that an estimated 10,000 people showed up - instead of the expected 4,000 - at a stadium, where they were supposed to gather before being transferred to transit centre at Aour-Aoussa, 120 km south of Djibouti city. The large turnout "outstripped the vehicle capacity arranged by UNHCR" forcing the government to provide additional transportation, it said. "All activities at the transit centre were completely paralysed by the unruly mobs at the centre. Neither registration of genuine asylum seekers nor food distribution could be started over the weekend," UNHCR spokesman Rupert Coleville said. A local journalist told IRIN that many Djiboutians had gone to the transit camp to register as refugees. "They believe that UNHCR will get them asylum in the west, like the Somalis and the Ethiopians," he said.