The Comorian government has strongly reacted to France’s decision to revise its Constitution to abolish jus soli (right of soil) in Mayotte. The Comorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly condemned Paris’ announcement on Tuesday.
The measure, according to Paris, aims to combat illegal immigration. The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced the announcement during his visit to the island on Sunday, accompanied by the Minister Delegate for Overseas France, Marie Guévenoux. This visit, intended to address the social and security crisis gripping Mayotte, was poorly received in Moroni.
In its statement, the Moroni government emphasizes that the current situation in Mayotte stems from France’s management of the island over the past 49 years. It rejects the notion that the abolition of jus soli concerns Comorians in Mayotte, asserting that they are at home there.
Moroni expresses profound disagreement with the French decision, arguing that Mayotte is historically and legally recognized as part of the Comoros according to international law and United Nations resolutions.
Still, in its statement, Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dhoihir Dhoulkamal wonders if this marks the beginning of a challenge to Mayotte’s alleged belonging to France. He reaffirms Moroni’s desire to continue to claim Mayotte as a Comorian territory, with its own cultural and linguistic identity.
The minister urges France to respect Comoros’ sovereignty over the island of Mayotte, emphasizing “that neither time nor constitutional changes can alter the history and destiny shared by Comorians of the four sister islands.”