What is it about?
In the past two decades, a growing number of rejected asylum seekers, especially from the African Great Lakes Region, have been “trapped” on Mayotte as the French authorities neither repatriate them nor offer resettlement programs. In the absence of safe and legal onward migration options, many spend years without legal residency and face numerous social borders, which remain invisible, yet have very tangible and violent impacts. This article explores the repercussions of asylum rejections on the everyday life of the concerned and sheds light on the various practices of resilience and resistance rejected asylum seekers in Mayotte develop to handle the challenges of physical and social isolation.
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Why is it important?
Under the French flag, Mayotte is pursuing a policy of deterrence at the expense of individuals’ life prospects. By providing insights into the everyday struggles of rejected asylum seekers on Mayotte, I aim at exposing the violent impact of European policy making on refugees in this specific part of Africa. Moreover, research as well as mainstream media reporting about migration to Europe tend to focus on hotspot areas such as Greece or Italy. Little to no attention is given to Mayotte, this small Comorian island at the shores of East Africa.
Perspectives
Helen, Bertrand, Marie and other East Africans, who shared their stories with me, fled to Mayotte in need of protection and hoping for a better life. However, as rejected asylum seekers, prevented from leaving the island and deprived from the access to basic rights, they feel trapped, physically and mentally. Their life is on hold. They are caught in a legal limbo, a constant state of uncertainty. From a human rights advocate perspective, I call for a change in policy that allows people like Helen, Bertrand and Marie to live a life in dignity.
Elena Iwanski
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Trapped in Paradise?, November 2023, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004688520_004.
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