DJIBOUTI CITY: Djibouti plans to expel more than 100 000 illegal immigrants, or 15% of the Red Sea state's population, who are considered a threat to security. Officials said the foreigners included Ethiopians, Somalis, Yemenis and Eritreans as well as Senegalese.
The officials denied that Djibouti had been under pressure from Western governments, which have a military base in the country, to expel the foreigners.
The officials insisted that Djibouti was a sovereign country and it did not take directives from anybody.
A Western-led counter-terrorism operation in the Horn of Africa moved its headquarters to Djibouti in May this year.
The mission covering Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen, aims to prevent militants operating in a region where large swathes of territory are beyond the control of central governments.