France Boosts Military Control Over Immigration in Mayotte

France is set to significantly militarize its efforts against clandestine immigration in Mayotte, an overseas department in the Indian Ocean. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the intensified measures during a visit to the island, where nearly half of the 323,000 inhabitants are foreign nationals, many without legal status.

Lecornu acknowledged that previous increases in police and gendarme presence since 2017 have not curbed rising violence or irregular entries. To address this, the government will implement two key changes. The first involves a "stronger militarization" to bolster border control and assert French sovereignty, aiming to address detection "blind spots" despite increased interception capabilities.

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There are too many blind spots and too many detection difficulties when paradoxically our means of interception have increased and will increase.

The enhanced militarization will include the deployment of cutting-edge technologies. These will range from static balloons, similar to those used in conflict zones, to long-range drones, tactical drones, and artificial intelligence for improved detection and interception of migrant flows.

The second major policy shift focuses on development aid. France will introduce a system of incentives and penalties for regional countries based on their cooperation in controlling emigration and accepting the return of their nationals. Lecornu stated that countries that assist in managing migration flows will receive greater support from France, while those that fail to meet commitments will face significant penalties. This policy targets migrants arriving not only from the Comoros archipelago but also from the Great Lakes region, with France allocating substantial development aid, amounting to 300 million euros last year, to influence these outcomes.

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Countries that help us with the exit of migratory flows will be more accompanied by the French Republic, and those that do not, because they have not made commitments or refuse to make them or do not fulfill them, will obviously face significant penalties.