France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has directed authorities in the French overseas department of Mayotte to initiate deportation flights for migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a broader strategy to combat illegal immigration to the island, located off the east coast of Africa.
Beginning in October, the police chief of Mayotte will oversee the organization of group flights to return illegal immigrants to the DRC. Retailleau, who has emphasized the need to “restore order,” shared these plans during a recent address to the French parliament.
A spokesperson for Retailleau’s team indicated that four deportation flights have been executed since February, with at least three additional flights scheduled for October aimed at alleviating the strain on detention centers within French territory. The collaboration with DRC authorities on this issue has been described as “excellent.”
Each year, thousands of migrants from the neighboring Comoros archipelago and mainland Africa attempt to reach Mayotte, often traveling on small kwassa kwassa boats. Current estimates suggest that migrants comprise nearly half of Mayotte’s population of approximately 320,000, leading to increased local tensions and protests over issues such as crime and poverty.
Additionally, Retailleau announced new bilateral security agreements with nations in Africa’s Great Lakes region, including Burundi and Rwanda, intended to “stop the flow” of migrants.
As a hardline conservative, Retailleau has expressed skepticism regarding the benefits of immigration for France and has committed to employing “all levers at our disposal” to exert control over the situation. He stated, “My only obsession is to be useful to France. That is, for me, the only thing that matters.”