the Cavani asylum seeker camp dismantled as of Thursday

This is what the Prime Minister announced. Gabriel Attal promised to provide “a response adapted to each of the people present in the camp”.

The date was not yet known. The dismantling of an asylum seeker camp in the Cavani stadium, a district of the town of Mamoudzou, on the island of Mayotte, will begin on Thursday January 25, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced on Wednesday.

Without giving a precise date, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced on January 17 that he had ordered the dismantling of the camp, the scene of recent altercations between asylum seekers and residents. In total, several hundred asylum seekers from Africa, particularly from the Great Lakes countries, have been settled for months in the Cavani stadium and in the surrounding streets.

“This is a strong expectation of the Mahorais”

“The State is determined to evacuate this camp in close collaboration with the elected officials concerned. And I tell you, the first demolitions will begin tomorrow (Thursday),” affirmed Gabriel Attal in front of the Senate, during the government questions session. “They will continue in the coming days until the complete disappearance of this encampment,” he added, responding to a question from Mayotte senator Saïd Omar Oili.

The Prime Minister promised to bring “a response adapted to each of the people present in the camp”. “The dismantling of the camp should allow the return to normal functioning of all activities. This is a strong expectation of the Mahorais and we owe it to them”he added while the installation of this camp caused “demonstrations, blockages of roads and public services”. But, he insisted, “Violence against migrants is not acceptable. Eleven perpetrators of this violence have been arrested and will be tried”.