Gérald Darmanin confirmed Thursday evening the imminent launch of an operation against delinquency and illegal immigration in Mayotte, already widely rumored in the media, without however giving a date.
The Minister of the Interior, who gave an interview to Le Figaro, had not spoken on the subject since the revelations of Le Canard enchaîné, in February.
Gérald Darmanin confirmed the dispatch in recent days to the archipelago of “four squadrons of mobile gendarmes, police officers from the CRS-8, specialists in the fight against urban violence, a total of 510 members of the police forces” . “Public order operations in Mayotte are every day,” he said, brushing aside the question of the date.
With regard to the judicial component, “six magistrates and seven clerks, as well as fifteen agents of the judicial protection of youth (PJJ)”, were dispatched.
Baptized “Wuambushu”, which can mean both “recovery” and “itchy hair” in Mahoran, the operation was approved by Emmanuel Macron in the defense council and should begin next week, according to a source familiar with the matter. It should last at least two months, according to information obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Last minute deals
“We will redouble our activity” against local delinquency thanks to these reinforcements, promises the minister. In total, “about 40 organized criminal gangs” have been identified in Mayotte, he said. The objective is also to expel illegal immigrants, mostly from the neighboring archipelago of the Comoros, settled in particularly unhealthy neighborhoods, called “bangas”.
“We will take the necessary time” for the destruction of these habitats, “always with the authorization of the judge, because it goes without saying that we relocate people, in accordance with the law”, assures Gérald Darmanin.
Several associations, including the League for Human Rights (LDH), expressed concern in a joint press release that “France is thus placing minors in situations of intolerable vulnerability and danger”. Comorian President Azali Assoumani, for his part, wanted the operation to be canceled, while acknowledging that he did not “have the means to stop [it] by force”. Intense negotiations have taken place in recent weeks between Moroni and Paris, raising the possibility of a last-minute agreement.