A crackdown on irregular migration begins in Djibouti amid Sudan war

Djibouti has announced plans to go for illegal immigrants who have been sneaking into the country, with state media reporting that over 3,000 people have been arrested by the police and are now waiting for deportation to their respective countries once they are established.

Said Nouh Hassan, the country's interior minister, said Djibouti has been "saturated" by an influx of people from neighboring countries, with an estimated 22,000 making entry last year without approval from authorities. This was the highest number in as many years according to authorities.

Djibouti, which has a population of around one million, lies on an often perilous migration route from Africa for people fleeing conflict and climate disasters or seeking a better life. The strategic country is the gateway to the Horn of Africa due to its location near the Red Sea.

In a televised address, the minister insisted that the country has decided to take action to protect the "well-being and safety of its population" and to control the flow of migrants into the country. Djibouti hosts the US Africa Command and is a close ally of both France and the US.

"The security forces were forced this Sunday... to carry out an emergency operation to combat crime and the trafficking of illicit goods observed in a certain sector of Djibouti city," he said.

The operation, state-run media RTD reported, has seen over 3,000 people detained by the police awaiting actions by the state. The immigrants, he added, will be bundled in trucks and deported back to their countries of origin. "These operations will continue throughout the territory," Hassan said.

For those without work, "we invite them to return immediately and voluntarily to their country of origin", he said. "Illegal immigrants are like a time bomb in Djibouti, there are so many of them," Bilan, a jobless 45-year-old in Djibouti told AFP, declining to give his full name.

Djibouti is a major security partner of the Horn of Africa and the rest of the world given the role the country plays both in the region and across the continent. The country has given illegal immigrants 30 days to surrender to authorities failure to which, they will be traced and deported to their respective countries.

GAROWE ONLINE