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Emmanuel Macron is this Tuesday, October 22 in Mayotte. The 101st French department remains the poorest in the country. Illegal immigration from the Comoros is a major problem for its inhabitants.
With our special correspondent in Mayotte, Valérie Gas
Mayotte is the first step of this presidential trip in the Indian Ocean. A four-day trip that will eventually lead the French head of state on the island of Grande Glorieuse, a first, and Reunion. Several themes on the agenda of act 2 of the five-year period must be mentioned.
For the Collectif des citoyens of Mayotte, which is at the origin of a social movement that occurred in the spring of 2018 in the archipelago Mahorais, Mr. Macron must hear their claims. These last ones concern the immigration from the other islands of the Comorian archipelago, which no longer belong to France since 1975.
The Comoros, and especially the island of Anjouan, are only 60 kilometers from the Mahoran islands of Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre. And the incessant arrival of Comorian migrants is experienced as a burden by the population of Mayotte.
" Every day, there are illegal immigrants who arrive. Everyday. And every day, you meet new people in your neighborhood. So it's scary. From the evening we are afraid to go out, we are afraid to go alone to the restaurant, "says Aouladi, member of the collective.
This insecurity will not be visible during the visit. Estelle Youssouffa, the president of the group, explains that everything has been done to give the best image of Mayotte: " We suddenly see that the police and gendarmerie services operate daily sweeps. There is no stowaway in the streets, "she says.
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Clandestine workers against whom the Collectif des citoyens demands the implementation of radical measures. According to Ms. Youssouffa, " it is necessary that a building of the Navy is posted in the lagoon, but especially that Paris stops territorialized residence permits, which fix the Comorian population in Mayotte ".
Although he will not meet the group, Mr. Macron has planned to take stock of the Shikandra operation to fight against illegal immigration. He will be accompanied by the Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner. The operation aims to better control the maritime area and to drive more illegals to the border.
It's like practical work, to which the president will engage. This big trip Overseas was designed to allow him to defend his policies on the ground. Starting with immigration, which has sparked a lot of controversy in the capital since the organization of a debate in the Assembly.
But in Mayotte as in Reunion, Emmanuel Macron is also expected on economic and social issues. In Reunion, the movement of "yellow vests" has been particularly important and the claims are numerous.
The economic dimension is also one of the priorities of the trip with the summit Choose Réunion, organized to develop regional attractiveness. Between Mayotte and Réunion, Emmanuel Macron will go to the island of Grande Glorieuse. A step devoted to the protection of biodiversity.
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