The contentious removal of migrants from a slum on the island nation of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean has been halted by a French court. Operation Wuambushu, which means "Take Back" in the native tongue, sought to drive out unauthorized immigrants from Mayotte with the justification that doing so would improve circumstances for natives in France's poorest department.
Conflicts between residents and security personnel as well as problems with the neighboring Comoros have been brought on by the proposal. On Tuesday, the court in Mamoudzou abruptly halted the removal of one slum in Koungou, close to the capital, claiming that the move was illegal and endangered public rights.
The majority of individuals being deported are Comorans, and it is intended to send those without documentation back to Anjouan, a Comoran island 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Mayotte. Mayotte has a population of about 350,000 people, with about 50% of them thought to be foreigners, mostly Comorans. Every year, a large number of Africans, mostly Comorans, attempt to go to Mayotte.
These perilous voyages run the danger of catastrophe when the tiny motorized fishing boats used by people traffickers capsize. The Comoros archipelago's fourth island is called Mayotte.
