In Mayotte
"You have failed." “You destroyed the island.”
On the quays of Mamoudzou, Gérald Darmanin is greeted by screams and whistles.
“Mayotte angry”
, chant the demonstrators gathered in front of the sign
“Mayotte is French and will remain so forever”
, which sits at the entrance to the ferry terminal.
This Sunday, February 11, the Minister of the Interior and the new Minister Delegate for Overseas Territories, Marie Guévenoux, came to announce new measures to calm the anger of residents and put an end to the social crisis which is paralyzing the island. since January 22.
As soon as he arrived, on the airport tarmac, Gérald Darmanin announced the end of land rights in Mayotte.
“We are here to provide answers,”
assured the Minister of the Interior.
We have taken a radical decision, as part of a constitutional revision.
It will no longer be possible to become French if you are not a child of French parents.”
The objective: to significantly reduce the attractiveness of the territory for migrants from Africa.
At the same time, a new
“large-scale”
operation to fight against illegal immigration and delinquency will be launched, promised the Minister of the Interior, arriving with 15 soldiers from the GIGN for a “one-two punch” operation.
The opportunity to also recall that there are
“more police officers and gendarmes in Mayotte than there are in Lille, Lyon and Marseille combined”.
Based on the new measures of the immigration law, which has tightened the conditions for family reunification in Mayotte, the government also hopes to reduce
residence permits by “90%”.
“Today there is a radical change.
Previously, you needed 18 months of presence on the national territory and a one-year residence permit to bring your family.
This is one of the reasons for this significant immigration to Mayotte, which disrupts public services
,” believes Gérald Darmanin.
From now on, the condition is to reside in the territory for three years and to have a residence permit of at least five years.
“We are waiting to see the actions”
Another highly anticipated measure: the end of the territorialized visa which will be voted on as part of the next Mayotte law.
Today, holders of a residence permit in the archipelago cannot reach mainland France or other French territories.
The removal of this visa is one of the main demands of the “Forces vives” collective, at the initiative of roadblocks which have paralyzed the territory for three weeks to protest against insecurity and immigration.
“We are experiencing massive immigration.
All public services are saturated.
This has been a Mahorese concern for more than ten years!”
, estimates Zaidou Bamana, consultant for the collective.
The announcements are encouraging, but we are waiting to see the actions.
(...) France is one of the greatest world powers, it must still be able to secure this piece of rock
A resident who arrived in Mayotte seven years ago
The exceptional nature of these measures did not, however, convince the demonstrators gathered for the minister's arrival.
“It’s not enough, we experience violence every day.
Even in the morning when we leave for work, we are stoned.
We are not safe in our homes.
It’s not livable
,” Hadidja (1) gets angry, in front of a banner with a clear message:
“No to the integration of migrants in education
. ”
An observation shared by Eirini:
“The announcements are encouraging, but we are waiting to see the actions.
These measures must be followed by a law, which must be passed... This will take time and it will not change our daily lives immediately.
France is one of the greatest powers in the world, it must still be able to secure this piece of rock
,” says the young woman, who arrived in the country seven years ago.
Lifting of blockades uncertain
Despite
“these strong announcements”
, according to MP Mansour Kamardine, the lifting of the roadblocks is therefore uncertain.
“The announcements have been made, but we are waiting for concrete results.
When will the Mayotte law be applied?
We are waiting for a timetable
,” insists Zafira Ahmed, member of the “Forces vives” and representative of the Mtsamboro dam.
After discussing nearly three hours with representatives of the collective and local elected officials, Gérald Darmanin announced that a letter of commitment concerning the Mayotte bill would be sent to them as well as to elected officials.
“I understood that after receiving this letter the roadblocks would be lifted
,” he said.
Mansour Kamardine, for his part, thanks
“the citizen mobilization which made it possible to force the government to take the measures requested for years by elected officials”.
However, he emphasizes that
“it is necessary to move from announcements to their implementation, as quickly as possible, so that the measures announced do not quickly become habitual empty promises”.
Lost school days
In the meantime, lifting the blockades is becoming more and more urgent for the population.
“It’s an extremely difficult situation for the Mahorais
,” concedes Gérald Darmanin.
The dams handicap the island
“first and foremost economically, but they also give rise to violence
,” he recalls.
With stones, clashes and sometimes looting near the blockages.
In terms of health,
“the non-collection of waste poses problems of unsanitary conditions and diseases”
, believes the Minister of the Interior.
Above all, these roadblocks prevent ambulances from traveling outside of Mamoudzou and certain caregivers from going to their workplace.
On January 29, Jean-Mathieu Defour, general director of the Mayotte hospital center (CHM), warned of the fact that only
“50% of the hospital staff were present”.
“The mobility of caregivers is seriously hampered and connections between our different sites are impossible,”
he expressed alarm, while the hospital is already experiencing major recruitment difficulties, linked to the lack of attractiveness of the territory.
Since February 7, a new dam has been erected near the port of Longoni, which covers 65% of the island's food needs, according to a study by Ademe
At the same time, the majority of schools have been closed for three weeks.
In a letter addressed to the academy staff on February 7, the rector admitted his
“concern regarding the number of school days lost, the needs of the students and the difficulty that we will encounter in getting students back to school. work"
, emphasizing, in a previous letter, that at
"entry into sixth grade, less than one student in two (47%) is able to read 70 words per minute, even though this is the level of fluency normally expected at the end of CE1.
At the same time, supermarket shelves are gradually emptying.
Since February 7, a new dam has been erected near the port of Longoni, which covers 65% of the island's food needs, according to an Ademe study.
“Our collective felt that it was necessary to erect roadblocks in strategic places so that the Mahorais could be heard.
If the economic heart of the island is threatened, the authorities will end up reacting
,” predicted Abdou Badirou, spokesperson for “Forces vives”, last Friday.
In many stores, shortages loom.
(1) The first name has been changed.