evidence: Comorians are attracted to Mayotte because its living standard is higher than in Comoros – even though Mayotte is regarded as the poorest of France’s 101 departments. The in-migration has created tensions with locals, who blame migrants for a perceived increase in crime, and competition for social services and other resources. When Darmanin visited Mayotte, roadblocks had been erected for almost three weeks by ‘citizen collectives’ protesting against insecurity and uncontrolled immigration, according to RFI. [...] The announcement also rekindled the lingering colonialist debate. In 1975 when the rest of the Comoros archipelago won its independence from France, Mayotte decided by referendum to remain part of France. In 2011 it was upgraded to a ‘department’. But Comoros still officially regards it as part of its territory, and both the African Union (AU) and United Nations regard the matter as unfinished decolonisation business. [...] ‘It is clear that there will never be a solution for peace and security in Mayotte as long as we do not want to see this problem in its entirety of the sovereignty of the territory of the Comoros as recognised by the United Nations.’ These calls for Mayotte’s independence seem to emanate mainly from Comoros rather than Mahorais.