Operation Wuambushu

Operation Wuambushu ("recovery" in Shimaore) is an ongoing French military-police operation in Mayotte,[1] aimed at expelling illegal immigrants, destroying slums, and fighting crime on the islands.[2]

The operation was revealed on February 22, 2023, by the satirical weekly Le Canard enchaîné,[3] and its launch was confirmed by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin on April 20, 2023, during an interview with Le Figaro.[4]

Background

French Government's stance towards unauthorized immigration in Mayotte

For several years the French government has been occupied with the migratory situation in Mayotte. Since 2019, it has increased its means of opposing unauthorized immigration on the island, in particular through the continuous sea presence of interceptor boats and through aerial surveillance.[5] Already in 2021, the French treatment of the situation in Mayotte has been accused with multiple violations of human rights.[6]

Visiting Mayotte in December 2022, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin once again expressed his desire to strengthen the fight.[7]

Objectives

Approved in February by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron and orchestrated by Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, this large-scale operation aims to dislodge a majority of irregular migrants from neighboring Comoros, and to demolish many sheet metal huts exposed to natural hazards.[8][9]

Prelude

As part of the operation, 119 police reinforcements were deployed on the island, among them 71 police officers from mainland France, 3 police officers from Réunion and 45 CRS. Since April 17, 2023, 164 CRS have already arrived in the territory.[10]

Assessment and criticism

In favor

Several Mayotte collectives aimed at expelling migrants from the island support the Wuambushu operation, in particular the Collective of citizens of Mayotte law 1901, the Collective of citizens of Mayotte movement 2018, the Réma collective, the Women Leaders and the Codim. The latter wrote to the Minister of the Interior asking for the continuation of the operation.[11]

At the political level, the operation is supported by the two deputies from Mayotte Estelle Youssouffa[12] and Mansour Kamardine.[13]

Against

In a forum, 170 health personnel on the island recalled "the dramatic consequences" of previous large-scale interventions in the fight against immigration, referring in particular to the "generation of situations at risk of epidemic infection", the "limitation of access to care" or even "delays in treatment" for certain pathologies that they would have caused.[14]

On April 5, Comorian civil society organizations held a press conference to warn of a "massacre to come".[15]

The president of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), Jean-Marie Burguburu, wrote to Gérald Darmanin, urging him to "give up" on this project, considering the risk of "worsening fractures and tensions in an already very fragile context [...] and the violation of respect for the fundamental rights of foreigners in the context of mass expulsions".

The association supporting exiles in France, Utopia 56, spoke of a "raid of an unprecedented scale in order to saturate justice and thus circumvent the rule of law to deport with a vengeance [...], the beginnings of 'a filthy communication operation'.[16]

The President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani asked the French government to abandon the operation.[17]

UNICEF was concerned "about the impact that this large-scale operation is likely to have on the realization of the rights of the most vulnerable children present on the territory, in particular foreign minors and minors in conflict with the law".[18]

References
  1. "Mayotte : une opération d'expulsions fait polémique". Franceinfo (in French). 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  2. "Pourquoi les Comores veulent empêcher des expulsions à Mayotte ?". TV5MONDE (in French). 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. "Selon le " Canard Enchaîné ", le ministre de l'intérieur prépare une expulsion massive". Mayotte la 1ère (in French). 22 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  4. "Gérald Darmanin: "À Mayotte, la délinquance ne l'emportera pas sur les lois de la République"". LEFIGARO (in French). 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  5. "Immigration : Mayotte et sa situation migratoire dans le viseur de l'exécutif". TV5MONDE (in French). 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  6. "FRANCE 2021 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT" (PDF). fr.usembassy.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  7. "En visite à Mayotte, Gérald Darmanin devrait faire des annonces sur la sécurité et la lutte contre l'immigration clandestine". Réunion la 1ère (in French). 31 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  8. Marchal, Quentin (2023-04-19). "Mayotte : cette opération " Wuambushu " qui doit déloger les migrants clandestins". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  9. "" Violence ", " massacre " : à Mayotte, l'opération anti-migrants " Wuambushu " dénoncée par les Comores". Le HuffPost (in French). 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  10. "Opération Wuambushu : Mayotte accueille 119 policiers en renfort". Mayotte la 1ère (in French). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  11. "5 collectifs de Mayotte demandent une nouvelle fois la poursuite de l'opération Wuambushu". Mayotte la 1ère (in French). 11 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  12. "Opération anti-migrants à Mayotte : "La République doit reconquérir le terrain", affirme la députée LIOT de Mayotte, Estelle Youssouffa". Franceinfo (in French). 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  13. "À Mayotte, "c'est une opération complète qui doit être menée" contre..." www.aefinfo.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  14. Ludovic, Belzamine. ""Projet Wuambushu" : Des soignants de Mayotte expriment dans une tribune leurs plus vives inquiétudes sur l'impact sanitaire de ce projet". Megazap (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  15. LIBERATION; AFP. ""Massacre à venir" ou "reprise en main" de la délinquance : ce que l'on sait de l'opération Wuambushu à Mayotte". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  16. "Opération Wuambushu : La CNCDH invite G. Darmanin à renoncer - JDM" (in French). 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  17. "Les Comores demandent à la France de renoncer à sa prochaine opération d'expulsions à Mayotte". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  18. "L'UNICEF se positionne contre l'opération Wambushu pour protéger les enfants étrangers". Mayotte la 1ère (in French). 10 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
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