how the prefecture of Mayotte destroyed “huts” with out respecting the legislation, to the purpose of adjusting it | EUROtoday

“At first we had nowhere to go. » When his house was made uninhabitable by a demolition operation, on January 17, 2023, in Doujani, in the commune of Mamoudzou, Saïd* (first name has been changed) found himself on the street with his family. That day, 160 huts were destroyed in the neighborhood and more than 450 people, who had lived there for around ten years, were evicted. The prefecture announces that it has sheltered 120 people. The others are struggling to find a solution: “We spent about a week on the streets before getting accommodation in Tsoundzou 2”says Saïd. This camp, situated additional south of Mamoudzou, was itself destroyed two years later, this time leaving greater than 800 individuals with out lodging.

Between April 2019 and July 2025, the prefecture of Mayotte issued 52 orders ordering “the evacuation and destruction of illegally constructed premises” (43 of whom had been executed). The World has compiled this info (accessible right here). According to figures from the prefecture, 3,884 properties had been destroyed between June 2019 and July 2025. However, in line with estimates relationship from 2017 from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, 4.5 individuals stay on common in every sheet steel “box”. These operations due to this fact doubtlessly led to the dislocation of 17,478 individuals.

Over the interval, these demolitions fall throughout the framework of article 197 of the legislation regarding housing, improvement and digital developments (ELAN). It permits the prefect of Mayotte to order by order the destruction of “premises or facilities” presenting “serious risks to health, safety or public peace”. This textual content requires that every order be accompanied by a “reasoned report established by the services responsible for health and safety” and proposals for housing or emergency lodging “adapted”.

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