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At the request of the prefect, the police began dismantling these roadblocks on Saturday. But this operation aroused the anger of the demonstrators.
Published on January 29, 2024 9:10 p.m
Reading time: 1 min
Police officers in the Mavadzani neighborhoods in Koungou, Mayotte, December 8, 2023. (MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)
Tensions are high in Mayotte. On Sunday 28 and Monday 29 January, demonstrators protesting against insecurity and immigration again set up blockades, paralyzing traffic on the island. At the request of the prefect, the police began dismantling these roadblocks on Saturday. But this operation aroused the anger of the demonstrators.
Clashes broke out late Sunday afternoon in Chiconi, a large village in western Grande-Terre. Amid piles of tires, garbage containers and other wooden pallets, police who arrived aboard an armored vehicle were greeted with stones being thrown, an AFP journalist noted. Residents heard the explosions until 4 a.m.
Since January 22, members of the Mayotte 2018 civic collective and local residents have been blocking the island's main roads to protest against insecurity and immigration. In particular, they are calling for the expulsion of refugees from the Great Lakes region of Africa who are housed in a makeshift camp near Cavani Stadium in Mamoudzou. But the first operations to dismantle the refugee camp on Thursday could not calm their anger.
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