A police and military action ordered by the state and aimed at dislodging irregular Comorian migrants will begin on Friday in Mayotte.
By Quentin Marchal for Le Point
Published on
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VS’is a military and police operation that does not fail to make Mayotte talk. As decrypts West Francethe “Wuambushu” (“recovery” in shimaoré) action, ordered by the government, aims to dismantle illegal or dangerous huts, built in the slums of a dozen municipalities in the 101e French department.
Orchestrated by Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, this large-scale operation aims to dislodge a majority of irregular migrants from neighboring Comoros, and to raze many sheet metal huts exposed to natural hazards. For this, several hundred gendarmes and police are mobilized in the slums of the island. According to our colleagues, its launch should take place from Friday April 21, at the end of Ramadan.
On the spot, the great maneuvers began. Many hotels are full to accommodate gendarmerie and police units. On the other side, several families living in the areas of the operation received an eviction notice while certain structures to be destroyed were marked with a painted number.
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Associations rise up against an operation supported by the population
The “Wuambushu” operation does not fail to cause controversy and to be strongly decried on the island. Several voices are raised, including that of Cimade, an association helping migrants and refugees, and the League for Human Rights (LDH), to challenge violations of the “rights of expelled persons”. In particular, they question the presence of many children in these neighborhoods. Several Comorian elected officials have also asked the French government to stop the operation, saying that Mayotte, which has become the 101e department of France in 2011, is Comorian.
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Despite this, the operation is mainly supported by the inhabitants of the island, who report “unlivable” living conditions, due to increasing attacks and acts of delinquency. In recent months, the authorities have advised residents not to go out at night and to go to certain sectors deemed too dangerous. This operation promises to be more critical than ever since calls for a riot have been circulating on social networks for a few days.
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