Authorities on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte began destroying homes in a vast slum on Monday as part of an operation allegedly to combat substandard housing and illegal migration, as per AFP.

Mayotte is a French Indian Ocean island, and the majority of its residents (97%) are Muslims.

Since April, France has deployed hundreds of police officers and gendarmes to Mayotte, the country's poorest department, to prepare for Operation Wuambushu ("Take Back" in the local tongue).

On Monday, at about 7:30 am (0430 GMT), diggers began dismantling the sheet-metal shacks in the Talus 2 slum in the Majicavo neighborhood. 

Psylvia Dewas, the local official in charge of decreasing illegal housing, informed reporters that the operation is due to last all week. 

Some 135 households will be razed out of around 1,000 sub-standard homes slated for destruction on Mayotte.

The demolition of Talus 2 was initially slated for April 25, but it was postponed due to a court order. The French state was then authorized to continue by two successive court judgments.

Les premières images de la démolition d'un vaste bidonville dans le cadre de l'opération «Wuambushu» à Mayotte. pic.twitter.com/eUxPbAjZ1J

— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) May 22, 2023

Associations have condemned Wuambushu as a "brutal" move that violates migrants' rights.

The operation sparked a dispute between youths and security officers in Mayotte and fueled political tensions with Comoros. Operation Wuambushu used the pretext that the migrants are "undocumented" on the French island and coming from the neighboring archipelago to justify the military crackdown on them.

Out of Mayotte's estimated 350,000 residents, half do not possess French nationality.

Not making headlines around the world

Unsurprisingly, the operation didn't attract media attention and global scrutiny despite the fact that it unmasks systematic practices, most notably the deportation of people and children taken away from their parents.

The operation allegedly intends to demolish shanty settlements, which account for 40% of Mayotte's housing, remove illegal migrants, and combat crime. Over the next two months, French officials intend to demolish 1,000 shanties.

Those who can show their French citizenship or residence permit will be re-housed in temporary housing - though it is uncertain whether such housing will be available in sufficient numbers - while those who cannot will be expelled to Comoros.

The operation did not start successfully, "despite" the 1,800 French security troops sent particularly for the mission, including hundreds transported from mainland France. According to Le Monde, on April 23, "the CRS 8 unit, recently introduced as the spearhead of the new generation of riot police, used no less than 650 tear gas grenades, 85 sting-ball grenades, and 60 rubber bullet gunshots."

According to Médiapart, a police officer shot a toddler in the leg and detained him in jail for 48 hours, threatening to deport his parents. Residents report a psychotic atmosphere: "People are afraid. People remain somewhat secluded in their dwellings. People try not to go out (translated)."

The Ministry of the Interior has already estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 people were deprived of their caregivers prior to the commencement of the operation. The French Defender of Basic Rights voiced concern about the operation's violations of basic rights and demanded "unconditional respect" for fundamental rights. Many NGOs and human rights activists have also labeled Wuambushu as "harsh" and "discriminating".

'It is necessary to kill some': French official 

Salime Mdéré, the Vice-President of the Mayotte Department and accordingly a French official, stated that “at a certain moment, it is necessary to kill some," referring to what he considers are “thugs” and “terrorists” responsible for Mayotte’s "delinquency". The Human Rights League has initiated a lawsuit against  Mdéré.

Wuambushu has revealed several more underlying issues. The administrative detention centers in Mayotte are responsible for three-quarters of French expulsions. More than 32,000 persons, including 3,000 children, were imprisoned there in 2022, while more than 26,000 were deported from the center, primarily to other islands in the Comoros archipelago.

Almost 10,000 individuals have already been detained in detention centers or other temporary detention facilities since the beginning of 2023. 

Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique, is a relic of the French imperial past. Mayotte was formerly part of a larger archipelago comprised of three main islands (Anjouan, Mohéli, and Grande Comore), which France colonized in the nineteenth century. In 1974, after more than 100 years of French colonial control, an auto-determination referendum was held. Except for Mayotte, all voted in favor of independence. Despite the UN's request that the archipelago's territorial integrity be respected, France chose to recognize the results independently. Mayotte remained French, while the other islands formed the Union of the Comoros, which continues to claim Mayotte as its territory. Mayotte is now the poorest French department, with more than 80% of its population living in poverty.

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