France and the Comoros reaffirm “their desire to fight against trafficking and against smugglers”

New discourse of firmness about migrants in Mayotte. The French and Comorian Ministers of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, meeting on Tuesday May 9 in Paris against a backdrop of tensions in this overseas department, “reaffirmed their desire to fight against trafficking and against smugglers”. Their joint press release also announces their efforts to ease these tensions caused by the “Wuambushu” operation, carried out by the French authorities in Mayotte to dislodge from the slums of undocumented migrants, the vast majority of whom come from the neighboring islands of the Comoros. The day before, Emmanuel Macron had also discreetly received his Comorian counterpart Azali Assoumani.

In addition to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and their respective Comorian counterparts, Agriculture Minister and spokesperson for the ggovernment of the Union of the Comoros was also present. Both governments emphasize that they want “coordinate their joint efforts to safeguard human lives at sea and to manage human flows between the islands, including by resuming maritime links”. They further reaffirm“the friendship that binds France and the Union of the Comoros” and express “their wish for a harmonious development of the South West Indian Ocean region”.

Gérald Darmanin launched his series of operations at the end of April, grouped under the name of “Wuambushu” (“recovery” in Mayotte), aimed at dislodging irregular migrants from Mayotte. Of the estimated 350,000 inhabitants of this department, half do not have French nationality. “Wuambushu” is denounced as an operation “brutal”, “anti-poor” and violating the rights of migrants by a number of associations. It remains supported by elected officials and many inhabitants of the archipelago, who denounce the increase in insecurity.