After the authorization of the resumption of the operation “Wuambushu” in Mayotte by justice on Wednesday, the State still plans to destroy “one thousand boxes identified” as unsanitary housing, in the coming months, said Friday, May 19 the prefect of the department, Thierry Suquet, during a visit organized early in the morning in the district of Cavani, in Mamoudzou, open to the press.
According to the prefect, of these thousand dwellings identified for demolition in Mayotte, “300 have already been the subject of social investigations”. The demolition of the Cavani slum should take place “in two to four months”did he declare.
Communication operation for the prefecture of Mayotte this morning which invited the press to attend the marking of… https://t.co/kKI5gW1Hzn
Since April, the French authorities have deployed a large number of police forces in Mayotte to prepare a series of police interventions grouped under the name of “Wuambushu” (“recovery” in Mahorais). It aims to dislodge illegal residents, mostly from neighboring Comoros, from the unsanitary shantytowns of the poorest department in France.
“The principle of demolition is never questioned”
On Friday, Mr. Suquet reaffirmed his firm desire to “fight against unsanitary housing”. “People live in unbearable conditions, they put their lives in danger”, he insisted. About fifteen agents from the regional health agency, the prefecture and social workers were present at his side to identify the sheet metal boxes to be demolished soon in the Cavani district.
“We had identified 90 by aerial view but we have already counted 10 more”underlined Psylvia Dewas, in charge of the reduction of unsanitary housing at the prefecture. “The social workers will then return to carry out social surveys with the aim of proposing rehousing solutions to the families”she assured.
People in a regular situation will be offered “a rehousing solution as you go along” but, warned Mr. Suquet, “the principle of demolition is never questioned, even if the families refuse the proposals”.
“We didn’t know they were going to destroy our homes”launched a resident of the district, Nadjim Rouzounati, mother of three children, in front of the hut “62” of his neighbour, who had just been bomb-marked. This woman in a regular situation, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost thirty years, launched: “Now where are we going? »worrying that they have not yet received a relocation offer.
The resumption of the operation expected next week
On Wednesday, the Mayotte Appeals Chamber agreed with the State in its desire to demolish the unsanitary habitat of Talus 2, an informal neighborhood in the town of Koungou (North-East) where around a hundred families live, who had been stopped by two court decisions at the end of April.
The operation should most likely take place during the week of Monday, May 22 following the long weekend. She is denounced as ” brutal “, “anti-poor” and as a violation of human rights by many associations, but supported by elected officials and many inhabitants of the island.
The judgment of the Appeals Chamber also came the day after the resumption of the maritime link between Mayotte and the Comoros, for the expulsion of people in an irregular situation, after more than three weeks of suspension.