FRANCE TARGETS COMORANS IN MAYOTTE

France is once again targeting Africans from the Comoros Islands in its latest crackdown on migration. It wants to deter them from coming to Mayotte - technically a French overseas territory that forms part of the same Indian Ocean archipelago, just off the southeastern coast of our continent.

The authorities are looking to twist French law as it applies to Mayotte by - exceptionally - revoking the right to citizenship-by-birth on the territory. This would potentially also majorly disrupt the lives of immigrants who have already settled in Mayotte.

Living standards on Mayotte have been declining and there is a rise in gang-related violence and crime. For weeks now, protesters have been blocking roads - calling on the government to address these urgent issues. Some locals blame the problems on Comoran newcomers, encouraged, no doubt, by France’s previous attempts to scapegoat them and expel them from the island.

It’s a complex situation. Mayotte voted to remain part of France in 1974, while the rest of the archipelago chose independence. What is certainly true is that these island communities remain inextricably linked - and African. France has no business dictating their relations.

Do you agree?