The Comoros, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, has urged France to reconsider its impending operation to forcibly return illegal migrants from the neighboring French island of Mayotte. The operation, called Operation Wuambushu (“Take back”), is set to be launched by Mayotte authorities on Thursday, April 20, following the end of Ramadan. Its goal is to remove illegal migrants who have settled in slums in Mayotte and send those without papers back to the Comoran island of Anjouan, located 70 kilometers away. The operation was approved by French President Emmanuel Macron in February but has faced criticism from Comoros and human rights groups.
“We strongly recommend the French drop Operation Wuambushu,” said Comoros government spokesman Houmed Msaidie on Tuesday. Anjouan governor Anissi Chamsidine expressed concern, stating that the island was unable to cope with the violence that has been created in Mayotte by the French state. Comoros’ President, Azali Assoumani, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, last week told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he hoped the plan would be dropped, but acknowledged that he lacked the means to stop the operation through force. On March 18, Macron expressed concern about the social and security situation in Mayotte during a phone call with Assoumani, according to a readout by the French presidential palace.
Mayotte and the three islands of present-day Comoros were French territories until 1975. Following a referendum, three islands – Grande Comore, Moheli, and Anjouan – declared themselves a separate country, the Union of the Comoros. However, Mayotte voted to remain a French overseas territory and later became a French department, a status that the Comoros continues to claim, resulting in a longstanding dispute between the two sides.
Mayotte, which is France’s poorest department, has approximately 80% of its population living below the poverty line and faces high levels of social delinquency. However, it also benefits from French infrastructure support and welfare, which has led to an influx of migrants from the Comoros attempting to cross the hazardous sea route on smugglers’ boats.
Around half of Mayotte’s population of roughly 300,000 is estimated to be foreign, mostly from Comoros. In 2019, France increased its efforts to stem the flow of illegal migration, strengthening sea patrols supported by air surveillance. In 2022, these efforts resulted in the interception of 571 boats carrying 8,000 migrants. A total of 25,380 people were removed last year, with most being sent back to the Comoros.
Civil society groups in Comoros have warned that Operation Wuambushu is a “massacre waiting to happen” and have called on international organizations to intervene. Prominent figures in Mayotte, including Jean-Marie Burguburu, chairman of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, have also spoken out against the clampdown. Burguburu wrote to Gerald Darmanin, the French minister of the interior and overseas territories, expressing concern that the operation could worsen social tensions and divisions in an already fragile context, and that mass expulsions would infringe on the fundamental rights of foreigners.
The situation between Mayotte and Comoros remains contentious, with differing perspectives on migration, sovereignty, and human rights. As Operation Wuambushu unfolds, the outcome and its implications on the affected populations and the broader region will be closely watched by international observers.
