FACED WITH THE INFLUX OF ILLEGALS AND EXCEPTIONAL DELINQUENCY

THE END OF LAND RIGHTS IN MAYOTTE

Will the latest announcement be enough to restore a feeling of security to the inhabitants of Mayotte? Arriving this Sunday in Mayotte, Gérald Darmanin announces his desire to put an “end to land rights” on the island facing a major migration crisis. “It will no longer be possible to become French if you are not the child of French parents, we will reduce the attractiveness of the archipelago,” explained the Minister of the Interior.

"We are going to take a radical decision, which is the inclusion of the end of land law in Mayotte in a constitutional revision that the President of the Republic will choose [...] It is an extremely strong, clear, radical measure, which obviously will be limited to the Mayotte archipelago", he indicated. In addition, he specified, the abolition of land rights in Mayotte will make it possible to "put an end to the territorialized visa", a device which prevents holders of a Mayotte residence permit from coming to France and the removal of which is one of the demands of the "citizen collectives", who have paralyzed the island for three weeks with roadblocks installed to protest against insecurity and uncontrolled immigration. According to the minister, the abolition of territorialized residence permits must be recorded in a Mayotte bill which will be studied in the National Assembly "in the coming weeks".

More than 150,000 illegal immigrants

The exceptional measure announced by Gérald Darmanin intends to calm the anger of some of the island's inhabitants who have been blocking traffic on major roads since January 22. The collective of “Forces vives de Mayotte” maintains blockades in the four corners of Mayotte, on the roads and at the port, paralyzing traffic and disrupting the economic life of the department.

They stand up against insecurity and delinquency, linked to illegal immigration which they consider uncontrolled. More precisely, they demand the expulsion of refugees from Great Lakes Africa, installed in a makeshift camp around the Cavani stadium, in Mamoudzou, and demand an end to acts of delinquency and clashes. This anger also shows the failure of Operation Wuambushu launched in spring 2023, during which hundreds of additional police and gendarmes were deployed in Mayotte to stem the flow of arrivals of migrants from the Comoros and combat delinquency and housing. unsanitary.

Mayotte, which became the 101st French department in 2011, attracts thousands of migrants each year, arriving by sea in "kwassa kwassa", makeshift boats, from the neighboring Comorian island of Anjouan, but also from Western Africa. Great Lakes and increasingly Madagascar.

Nearly half of Mayotte's estimated 350,000 inhabitants do not have French nationality, according to INSEE, but a third of foreigners were born on the island. In its February 2019 report, INSEE indicated that between "significant immigration from the Comoros" and the departures of "natives of Mayotte to the outside world", 48% of the department's population was foreign in 2017, a figure up 8% compared to 2012. And since then the situation has only deteriorated.

Comorian governments exploit their migrants whose remittances officially represent 20.5% of GDP. The Comoros is the fourth country in the world most heavily dependent on these transfers.

Insecurity and “extraordinary” delinquency

These illegal migrants, settled in particularly unsanitary neighborhoods, “bangas”, are prey to violence and trafficking.

In its report “Living environment and security in Mayotte” from November 2021, INSEE describes “extraordinary delinquency”. Over the period 2018-2019, in each area – burglaries, thefts, physical or sexual violence, etc. – Mahorese delinquency clearly exceeds the figures for mainland France.

This year, personal attacks have increased by 50%.

"The inhabitants of Mayotte are personally three times more victims of theft with or without violence", indicates INSEE, and the feeling of insecurity "far exceeds all the standards of the metropolis or other Drom (Departments and regions of Overseas)". 48% of Mahorais feel unsafe at home (52% in their neighborhood), i.e. five to six times more than in France. All these numbers are increasing year after year.

For six months, the island has also been suffering from a terrible drought which has forced the authorities to put in place water restrictions. Thanks to a recent improvement in the weather situation, and therefore to rainfall, water cuts were reduced in mid-January to every other day. Since the end of August 2023, running water has only been available one day out of three in Mayotte due to a historic drought, coupled with a lack of infrastructure and investment.

The Mayotte archipelago is the department where the National Rally scored its biggest score in the first round of the presidential election. Marine Le Pen received 59.10% of the votes, far ahead of the other candidates, but also very far from her score in 2017.

In a department undermined by insecurity and illegal immigration, the RN is attractive.