the prefect confirms that he will appeal the court’s decision to suspend the destruction of a slum

“I have taken note of the judicial decision, there will be an appeal”, confirmed on Tuesday April 25 on franceinfo the prefect of Mayotte Thierry Suquet, after the decision of the Mamoudzou judicial court to suspend the operation to destroy the Talus 2 shantytown in the Majicavo district, in the town of Koungou. The prefect ensures that “endangerment today” is not on the side of “the operation carried out by the prefecture and prepared for several months” but in fact “to let people live in undignified conditions”.

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Thierry Suquet acknowledges that this court decision“forces to look at the rehousing proposals that have been made”. He maintains that on this slum “more than 45 families and 100 people have been relocated”either “more than 50% of people” present on site. The prefect also promises that state services will continue “to relocate people” : “When we have settled the misunderstandings, we will demolish this unworthy habitat in which it is not possible to let people live”he promises.

The prefect of Mayotte brushes aside the criticisms made by the association Droit au Logement which assured Monday on franceinfo that the prefecture had not posted “its destruction order on the doors of each dwelling”. Thierry Suquet affirms on the contrary that “this decree taken on December 2 has been posted and regularly published”. “For each person, for each family, we make a proposal for rehousing for all the people who are destined to stay on the territory”adds the prefect who intends to demonstrate this “on appeal”.

Thierry Suquet affirms that if the destruction operation is suspended for this Talus 2 shantytown, the other “demolition operations of unfit habitats will begin as the legal and regulatory conditions are implemented”evoking “six prefectural decrees”. He considers these operations necessary to meet the objective of “eliminate slums and unfit housing in Mayotte”. The prefect also assures that in the context of “the acceleration of the fight against unfit housing, at the request of the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, we have reserved more than 500 accommodation places (…) and we have the capacity to relocate more than 800 people”.