French government announces security plan for Mayotte island

PARIS – France's minister for overseas territories has announced an emergency plan to improve security on the French island of Mayotte following weeks of street protests.

Annick Girardin on Monday and Tuesday visited the tiny Indian Ocean island, where protesters have taken to the streets and blocked roads over the past three weeks.

The population is upset at increasing violence, illegal immigration, high unemployment and an economic crisis.

Girardin pledged to take measures to combat illegal immigration through additional police officers and military forces and a Navy patrol vessel.

Mayotte is the only part of the Comoros archipelago that voted to remain part of France in a 1974 referendum. The island now sees a massive arrival of migrants from the other islands — the independent nation of Comoros.