A strong gesture to denounce violence. The elected officials of the archipelago of Mayotte have decided to close primary schools and local administrations on Thursday and “until further notice” in order to express their exasperation with the insecurity, announced the association of mayors.
Faced with a situation of “unprecedented seriousness”, mayors, parliamentarians, departmental advisers and collectives of citizens decided on Tuesday to operate a “dead island” from September 15, promising a return “to normal as soon as the situation will be appeased and structural solutions found so that peace, security, serenity and public tranquility return”.
The interest of the children sacrificed?
Less than a month after the visit of the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Gérald Darmanin, Mayotte has experienced a wave of violence in recent days, with roadblocks, clashes between rival gangs and with the police, cobblestones of school buses and vehicles.
The association of mayors indicated in its press release that it had asked the Departmental Council to “take all the necessary measures so that no school transport runs from this Thursday”. On the island, where public transport does not exist, many students would be unable to go to college or high school.
The Federation of Parents’ Councils (FCPE) expressed concern about the impact on students, saying that “the best interests of children” should “not be sacrificed”. “Mayotte is one of the poorest territories in France, a territory where children and adults no longer feel safe. It is up to the State (…) to quickly find solutions to a situation that has lasted too long,” said the FCPE in a press release.
“Do not leave the street to criminals”
Reacting Wednesday morning on the local channel Kwezi TV, the prefect of Mayotte, Thierry Suquet, for his part said he understood “the exasperation of the population” but called for “not to leave the street to delinquents”. “We feel that behind these agitations, we want the police, the gendarmerie, the justice system and the State, like the communities, to be weakened. Let’s not let go, this is not the time to close, to capitulate, ”pleaded the prefect.
“The worst thing that can happen to us on Thursday is that all the children only have delinquents as supervision (…) A day of mobilization to show that Mayotte does not want insecurity, I find that very good , but Mayotte who abandons her children in the hands of delinquents, be careful, ”he added. The prefect also recalled the announcements of the Minister of the Interior regarding the maintenance of order on the territory, with in particular the perpetuation of a fourth squadron of mobile gendarmes.
The feeling of insecurity is very strong in this archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In an analysis of November 2021, INSEE noted that “nearly half of people feel insecure often or from time to time, at home or in their neighborhood, i.e. five to six times more than the inhabitants of France. “.