Mayotte: Protest in Mamoudzou amid general strike Feb. 27

Event

Hundreds of people are planning to take the streets of Mamoudzou on Tuesday, February 27, to denounce degraded security conditions prevailing throughout the island. The protest coincides with a general strike that has been ongoing for two weeks. On Monday, at least 300 people protested in Mamoudzou. An increased security presence is expected to be deployed throughout the island, both in response to the strike and to broader security concerns. Outbreaks of violence during demonstrations cannot be ruled out.

Context

Hundreds of people have protested on various occasions in Mamoudzou over the past ten days to denounce the increased influx of Comorian migrants to the islands – as well as related security concerns - and to demand the resignation of the prefect. Skirmishes with security forces have broken out, although no serious injuries have been reported. Schools throughout the island have been closed for the past month.

Mayotte has been confronted with significant levels of illegal immigration from the neighboring archipelago of Comoros - located some 70 km (45 miles) away - since becoming a French department. The department's population is thought to be approximately 43 percent undocumented migrants - a situation which has incited the local population to violence against immigrants, who are often blamed for the increasing insecurity in the department.

Armed theft, robberies, and burglaries are common in Mayotte. Rates of petty crime (theft) are particularly high in southern areas of the main island of Grande-Terre, which is popular with tourists, as well as on the east coast around Mamoudzou and on the island of Petite-Terre, home to the most densely-populated areas of Mayotte. Burglaries are typically concentrated in residential areas located near economic centers, near the port of Longoni (close to Koungou), Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi International Airport (DZA), and near government buildings (Mamoudzou and Dzaoudzi).

Since the fall of 2011, protest movements, which occasionally result in outbreaks of violence, have regularly threatened the stability of the department. Mayotte remains one of the poorest French overseas departments; 84 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Advice

Individuals in Mayotte are advised to avoid all demonstrations and to keep abreast of the situation.