In Mayotte, where he went to try to defuse the social and security crisis which is paralyzing the Indian Ocean island, the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, revealed on Sunday February 11 a draft constitutional revision aimed at abolishing land rights on the island, which is facing a serious migration crisis from the Comoros. The project is not without its critics.
3 mins
With our correspondent in Moroni, Abdallah Mzembaba
Accompanied by the new Minister for Overseas Territories, Marie Guévenoux, Gérald Darmanin is on an island where roadblocks have been erected for almost three weeks by “citizen collectives” protesting against insecurity and uncontrolled immigration . In Moroni, this announcement by the French Minister of the Interior is criticized, with some believing that it will not solve the problem and that it will not prevent people from going to Mayotte, far from there.
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On social networks, the proposed reform is singled out, accused of not addressing the problem at the root. “ I think this confirms once again that the fundamental principles of the Republic stop at the Mayotte coral reef, annoys Nadia Tourqui, from the Stop Wuambushu collective, a Comorian NGO. Today, it is land rights that are in question. Tomorrow, we may be able to question the death penalty, the social model… It is clear that there will never be a solution for peace and security in Mayotte as long as we do not want to see this problem in its entirety of the sovereignty of the territory of the Comoros as recognized by the United Nations. »
Me Youssouf Ismaël Aticki is a member of the Maoré Committee, a Comorian NGO which defends the return of Mayotte within the Union of the Comoros. He shares this opinion.
“ It is up to France to explore its own contradiction with regard to the values it conveys and international law. We think that the only way that Darmanin would do good for France and the Comoros to eliminate the clandestinity of this island in the archipelago is to know that he is illegal on this Comorian island and to leave. »
A government source criticizes Gérald Darmanin’s management in Mayotte, and affirms that the proposals of the French Minister of the Interior are unfounded. According to this source, insecurity is the real problem and removing land law would not solve anything.
This constitutional revision is, however, a long-standing request from the Les Républicains party in particular, including the Mayotte deputy Mansour Kamardine: “ This is a strong signal that must be given to immigration candidates who come because they hope to give birth to a child in Mayotte. This child would not be French and they themselves would not be regularized. So this is one element, but others are needed: border control for example. »
Furthermore, if Gérald Darmanin welcomed the results of Wuambushu 1, the education unions do not share the same opinion. Mouayad Madjidi, general secretary of Solidarités Mayotte, recalls that the operation caused several dozen dropouts and says he is worried while waiting for the next one: “ Before any operation, they must already send people to identify the people who live in these neighborhoods. Because most of the time, they are mothers whose children are in school. We don’t support them to get through it. Wuambushu means destruction and brings conflict. Young people grow up with the idea of taking revenge because the State destroyed our huts, so we too are going to attack public establishments. The government must think before any destructive operation. »