The Comoros government has urged France to cancel a planned operation involving evictions, destruction of illegal housing, and arrests in Mayotte. The French department in the Indian Ocean has seen a surge in crime and a migration crisis. The Comorian government has called for dialogue rather than actions, with most of the migrants in the targeted slums being from Comoros.

The government of Comoros has requested that France cancel a planned operation involving evictions, destruction of illegal housing, and arrests in Mayotte, a French department in the Indian Ocean, due to a rise in crime and a migration crisis.

The operation, called “Wuambushu,” was approved in February by French President Emmanuel Macron and is set to begin on April 20th, the end of Ramadan.

The targeted slums are primarily occupied by migrants from Comoros, leading the Comorian government to demand that the French authorities abandon the operation and opt for dialogue instead. Comorian civil society organizations have warned of a “coming massacre,” and diplomatic negotiations have taken place between Moroni and French authorities.

Voices have been raised in Mayotte to express fears of the operation’s potential consequences. The president of the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights has urged France to “renounce” the project, citing the risk of exacerbating social tensions and infringing on the fundamental rights of foreigners.