the “Wuambushu” operation, which was to end at the end of June, has been extended, announces the Minister of the Interior

Gérald Darmanin announced, Friday, June 23, in the evening, the extension of the operation “Wuambushu” to fight against unsanitary housing, illegal immigration and delinquency, which was to end at the end of June.

In an interview with Le Figaro broadcast a few hours before his trip on Saturday and Sunday to this 101st French department located in the Indian Ocean, the Minister of the Interior affirmed that the government was going “continue to inject resources, leaving an imposing security force of more than a thousand men and women” in Mayotte.

“662 arrests” carried out

From the outset, Gérald Darmanin claimed flattering results without explaining them – “The results are in”– obtained according to him within the framework of this disputed operation which began in April. In two months, he claimed, “violence against people has been reduced by 22%; burglaries, thefts, damage to property, in general, have decreased by 28%”. “Above all, he continued, of the 57 gang leaders identified at the start, 47 were arrested and brought before the courts”.

While on May 22, the Ministry of the Interior announced 236 arrests, Gérald Darmanin affirmed that a month later, “no less than 662 arrests had been made”. But the objective of destroying 1,000 bangas, these unhealthy sheet metal huts, by the end of June has not been achieved and has been postponed. Since April, he said, “We have already been able to destroy 264 bangas (…). Our objective is to achieve the destruction of a thousand substandard housing by the end of the year”.

Regarding the water problem, very significant in Mayotte, he announced a freeze on the price of bottled water from “July 15” and pleaded for an increase in water production capacity by desalination plants.