Anger movement, blockades, risk of shortages… What is the situation in Mayotte, where Gérald Darmanin and Marie Guévenoux are going?

The Minister of the Interior and the new Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories are preparing the launch of Operation Wuambushu 2, a new attempt to curb “delinquency and illegal immigration”.

A trip to the bedside of an angry society. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, and the brand new Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories, Marie Guévenoux, are in Mayotte, Sunday February 11, to prepare a new operation “against delinquency and illegal immigration”Wuambushu 2. It is to give “no more means of law enforcement or justice”, declared Gérald Darmanin, in a video posted Saturday evening on social networks. “I come from elsewhere with 15 additional GIGN men on the plane,” did he declare.

The difficulty in stopping these two phenomena has given rise to a protest movement which, to express its anger, is setting up roadblocks throughout the archipelago. Actions which complicate economic activity and pose a high risk of shortages in the territory’s supermarkets. Franceinfo takes stock of this complex and explosive situation.

A social movement “against insecurity and immigration”

The department has been partly paralyzed since January 22 and the start of actions carried out by the Forces vives de Mayotte, a collective protesting “against insecurity and immigration” on this territory. Its members point out in particular the disappointing results of Operation Wuambushu, launched with great fanfare last spring by Gérald Darmanin. “This operation turned into a fiasco. And the fact that this operation failed, we took it like a hammer blow”explained to franceinfo Haoussi, a member of the collective met in a demonstration on Tuesday.

The movement has also broadened its demands and calls for an end to “exceptional legislative measures” which, according to the demonstrators, establishes the inequality of Mayotte with the rest of France.

Nearly a thousand people gathered on February 4 in the Tsingoni stadium. Tuesday, according to Mayotte La 1ère, “more than a thousand demonstrators gathered” in Mamoudzou, and scuffles with the police took place in front of the administrative court, where some of the protesters had converged.

Shortages loom due to numerous blockages

From January 22, in parallel with the demonstrations, the Forces vives de Mayotte collective organized road blockades on numerous roads on the island, using garbage trucks and tires. The gendarmes began lifting these roadblocks on January 27, but they resurfaced two days later.

Since Wednesday, protesters have also blocked the port of Longoni, in the north of the island, which is the main access point for products and foodstuffs. “If the economic lifeblood of the island is threatened, the authorities will eventually react”commented the movement’s spokesperson, Abdou Badirou, on Saturday. “We have been blocking roundabouts and public services for three weeks, but we have had no response from the state.”

Logically, Mayotte sees the shelves of its supermarkets emptying and the risks of shortages looming, while the protest is growing and the effects of a historic drought in the archipelago were barely beginning to subside.

Businesses and public services affected by paralysis

Beyond food shortages, the entire economy and society are verging on paralysis. The president of Medef in Mayotte noted Wednesday on France Inter “withdrawals in hotels” and low reservations in restaurants. She fears that “many traders are not making it” in front of this situation.

Public services are also operating slowly due to the blockages, such as La Poste or National Education. “Schools are almost no longer functioning, because more than half of the teachers do not arrive at school, and it is very complicated to work peacefully,” deplored Rivomalala Rakotondravelo, from the Snuipp-FSU teachers’ union, to franceinfo on Tuesday.

“I think it is important to understand that the situation in Mayotte is quasi-insurrectional”estimated Liot MP from Mayotte, Estelle Youssouffa, on franceinfo on Monday. “There are roadblocks of citizens, but there are also roadblocks set up by criminal gangs who are rampant in Mayotte (…) who take advantage of social tension to sow violence.”

An asylum seeker camp being dismantled

These blockages occur while the migration situation is still tense there. On Wednesday, Gabriel Attal requested a “acceleration” of the dismantling of the camp for African asylum seekers set up in the Cavani district of Mamoudzou. Started on January 25 at the request of the Prime Minister, the evacuation of this camp crystallized tensions between residents and refugees in Mayotte.