Louis de Raguenel, edited by Gauthier Delomez / Photo credits: Chafion MADI / AFP 20:06 p.m., April 25, 2023

For the second day of Operation Wuambushu in Mayotte, the island's court suspended the evacuation of a slum requested by the prefect. A setback for the State that adds to the refusal of the Comoros to take in illegal immigrants. The French authorities did not expect to encounter so many difficulties.

The French authorities did not expect to encounter so many difficulties in Mayotte. State officials on Monday launched the anti-immigration operation called Wuambushu, aimed at dislodging and deporting people in an irregular situation. But everything does not go as planned: this Tuesday, the court of the island suspended the order of destruction of a slum taken by the prefect. In reality, the executive made the mistake of focusing mainly on the police security apparatus to carry out its operation.

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Even if this organization is effective, what is wrong is the lack of preparation within the government illustrated by a flaw at the diplomatic and legal levels.

A diplomatic and legal loophole

First, at the diplomatic level, the Quai d'Orsay is putting on the brakes in this operation, and the Comoros does not agree to take back its clandestines. This clearly illustrates a lack of anticipation of the operation. The second problem is legal, with the suspension by the courts of the operation to destroy the slums. This is a recurring problem since French law often makes it impossible to evict illegal immigrants, as well as to destroy illegal slums.

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Expulsion of non-Comorian illegal immigrants

So, the executive is now focusing on police operations to secure certain neighborhoods and bring down networks. And on the migration side, the authorities are now focusing on the expulsion of non-Comorian illegals so as not to show the halt of the operation. On Tuesday afternoon, a plane drove three Sri Lankans home and on Wednesday, Malagasy people are to be deported.