The “secret” operation is no longer the case. France is preparing to launch a series of police interventions against delinquency and illegal immigration in Mayotte in the coming days, by carrying out mass expulsions of illegal immigrants and destroying slums.
At the end of February, “Le Canard enchané” revealed the “Wuambushu” operation, which the government did not formalize, and was confirmed by Gerald Darmanin on Friday in an interview with “Figaro”, then on Franceinfo. The Minister of Interior denied the launch on Monday and for two months of the operation, which was presented by the press. ” There is no moment we start and no moment we end He added, even claiming that “Wuambushu” was already started “.
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- What is the “Wuambushu” process?
“Wuambushu”, which means “recovery” in Mahoran, is intended to deport foreigners in an irregular situation, who live in the slums of Mayotte, to the lunar island of Anjouan, located 70 kilometers away as the crow flies.
” There are 1,800 police officers and gendarmes in Mayotte who carry out police operations, put an end to gun trafficking, and put an end to criminal syndicates. “60 of them have been counted. In total, more than 2,500 employees (law enforcement, regional health agency, justice, health reserve) have been mobilized,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
The Ministry of the Interior aims to destroy slums and evacuate people in an irregular situation. Gerald Darmanin said Friday that he doesn’t have a target on the number of expulsions.
“ We will destroy the ecosystem of these criminal gangs, who use immigrants, and put an end to the complicity that exists within the Mahoran region itself. », Gerald Darmanin explains in an interview with Figaro.
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- How does the state justify this process?
According to HuffPost, many African immigrants, especially Comoros, try to illegally get to Mayotte, where half the population is foreigners. These crossings, made on small motorized fishing boats used by smugglers called kwasa kwasa, often take a dramatic turn with frequent wrecks.
In its quarterly report, the Prefecture of Mayotte reports that 2,255 foreigners in an irregular situation have been arrested at sea between 1any January and March 31, 2023, and 6,507 people have been deported.
Gerald Darmanin in “Le Figaro” evokes a demography “It is not disciplined ” from ” It leads to the ruin of public services and the insistence on the great delinquency in Mayotte, but also on the insecurity of the island and of its nursing staff forced to return to mainland France. “It is a case of extreme delinquency which we must deal with with great firmness,” insist.
- What are the consequences for the island?
Health workers present in Mayotte expressed themselves at the beginning of April in Mayotte Hebdo, through a forum to draw the attention of François Brown, Minister of Health, regarding Operation Wuambushu, noting that “ Serious consequences It can follow.
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According to caregivers, an intervention of this magnitude could, as indeed has happened in the past, lead to epidemiological high-risk cases in emergency accommodation areas, shortages of drinking water, limitation of access to care with many delays in care or Even insulation. Sick children.
Journalist Cyril CastellettiAnd Immediately a reporter, in particular in Le Monde and Mediapart, published photographs showing that the inhabitants of the slums had ” They took the initiative by destroying their own huts.”
However, according to La 1re, a regional TV channel, five Mayotte collectives (two Mayotte citizens’ groups, the Ré-MaA collective, women leaders, and the Mayotte Interests Defense Committee) have signed a joint letter to the government to ensure the maintenance of the ‘Wuambushu “.
Mayotte, the island of deserted youth
Mayotte’s 1st district deputy, Estelle Youssoufa, expressed her support for the operation on La 1re news channel. Like an LR deputy of 2H constituency, Mansour Qamaruddin, who said on April 11 that residents are also in his favor due to the high level of crime on the island.
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- The process was criticized by various associations
However, the operation is also controversial in France, and some associations are concerned about the human consequences it could cause.
Human Rights League (ld) What’s called “The authorities must put an end to this escalation of violence and demand that those responsible immediately respect the rule of law. “.
UNICEF, as well The National Human Rights Committee They reacted concerned about respecting rights in the course of this process.
” To those who criticize us from Paris, I want to say that the Mahoris cannot be neglected: they are not “sub-French”, Gerald Darmanin responded to them on Thursday.
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- What do you think Comoros?
The Comoros government strongly opposes the process launched by France. The authorities fear an increased risk of violence and many local officials fear they will not be able to stop it. This Friday, Comoros pressured France by declaring: “The Comoros does not intend to receive those expelled from the operation planned by the French government in Mayotte.”said Hamid Mesaidi, who was joined by AFP.
In Mayotte, many families have nothing left to eat.
We do not have the means to absorb this violence that the French state is producing from Mayotte. Such a complex situation cannot be resolved in such a confusing way.”The middle of the week was denounced by Agence France-Presse, Wali Anjuan, Anissi Shamsdin.
