French diggers destroy Indian Ocean island shanties

French authorities on Thursday razed an informal settlement on the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte after overnight unrest sparked by government plans to clear slums and send illegal migrants back to the neighbouring Comoros. Operation Wuambushu ("Take Back" in the local language) has in recent days triggered clashes between youths and security forces on the French island and fuelled political tensions with the Comoros. Two diggers on Thursday morning demolished the shanties in the Longoni neighbourhood on the north of the island in less than an hour, AFP reporters at the scene said.

The prefect of Mayotte, Thierry Suquet, said the "small slum" was being cleared after a December court order to make way for a vocational training institute. Mayotte and the Comoros Islands.

By Sophie RAMIS (AFP) He told reporters that the settlement, which had once housed around 10 families, no longer had permanent inhabitants, and alternative housing had been offered to those using it as a temporary shelter. But 32-year-old Zarianti Bina told AFP the sudden demolition had come as a surprise.

"My mother lives here," she said. "I only learnt they were coming yesterday. We have been contesting this for a year, but we got no prior warning."

"No solution has been provided," she added. No deportations Suquet reported violence overnight in the main city of Mamoudzou, where police arrested one person after youths tried to set fire to "vehicles and buildings".

Some 1,800 members of the French security forces -- including hundreds from Paris -- have been deployed for Operation Wuambushu, which aims to improve living conditions for Mayotte locals. Mayotte is the fourth island of the Comoros archipelago, but France held on to the former colony after a 1974 referendum.

By Patrick Meinhardt (AFP) But its start was delayed on Monday when a court in Mamoudzou last minute stopped the clearance of a much larger slum near Longoni, a decision the local administration has appealed. It also faced a hurdle when Comoros, whose three islands lie to the northwest of Mayotte, said on Monday it would refuse to allow entry to boats carrying migrants back from Mayotte.

Around half of Mayotte's roughly 350,000 population is estimated to be foreign, most of them Comoran. Mayotte is the fourth island of the Comoros archipelago, which was once a French territory. France retained control over Mayotte after a 1974 referendum, but the island is still claimed by the Union of the Comoros, which gathers the three other islands.

It is France's poorest department with around 80 percent of the population living beneath the poverty line and high levels of social delinquency. But it also benefits from French infrastructure, support and welfare, and this has encouraged an influx from the Comoros, whose nearest island, Anjouan, is 70 kilometres (45 miles) away. Many migrants attempt the hazardous crossing on rickety boats used by smugglers.

There do not appear to have been any deportations since Monday, and the prefect said on Thursday that no boats had departed to the neighbouring Comoros in the time since. 'We're in prison' Residents have told AFP they support the idea of expulsions, accusing migrants of fuelling insecurity.

In Tsoundzou, in the east of the island, 40-year-old Aicha Magoma said on Wednesday she feared for her safety. Inside her gated home, the windows were covered in metal bars to prevent burglaries and room doors had locks in case an intruder made it in. "We're in prison," said the state electricity company employee, adding she no longer went outside after 5 pm.

Some 1,800 members of the French security forces -- including hundreds from Paris -- have been deployed for Operation Wuambushu. By Patrick Meinhardt (AFP)

She pointed to rocks she said youths had thrown onto her home during clashes with police the day before. "They threatened to kill us. They said that when the policemen left, they'd come and set fire to where we are," she said, angry.

Fatihou Ibrahime, who heads a citizen association on the island, said violence had increased on the island since 2015.

"It all started with petty theft, and we played it down, saying it was just hungry people stealing to survive," he said.

"But now we're at the point where there are murderers and people breaking and entering with machetes," he added, pointing to a scar on his head from a machete blow during a burglary.