Mayotte story
Around 1500, the Arabs, who settled in the Comoros, founded the Sultanate of Maore or Mauti (later interpreted by the French as Mayotte ).
In 1503, Portuguese travelers landed on Mayotte, but did not establish a colony here.
In 1832, the islands were conquered by the king of Madagascar; in 1833 conquered by the neighboring Mwali sultanate; November 19, 1835 came under the control of the Ndzuvani Sultanate, but in 1836 , led by the last local Sultan, they again gained independence.
In 1841, the Sultan of Mayotte, signed an agreement by which he sold the island of France against an annual rent of 1,000 piastres. The treaty was ratified by Louis Philippe in 1843 , after which the ceremony of official taking over with the flag was held. Thus, Mayotte became a protectorate of France much earlier than the rest of the Comoros (in 1886-92).
Since 1909, the Comoros became a colony of France (since 1912 - as part of the colony of Madagascar).
In 1946, Comoros, separated from Madagascar, received the status of overseas territory of France.
In 1961, the Chamber of Deputies (local parliament), the government council (local government) were formed, formed from local residents. Local parties formed. In Mayotte, the Movement of the People of Mahore, which demanded the status of the overseas department of France for the island, has been operating since 1962.
Since 1968, France has only been in charge of finance, defense, and foreign relations of the Comoros.
At a referendum on the independence of Comor in December 1974, the majority of the inhabitants of the archipelago spoke out positively. Of these, 96% of the inhabitants of the islands of Anjouan, Grand Comor and Moheli voted in favor of his separation from France, and 64% of the population of Mayotte voted against. In November 1975, the Comoros were admitted to the UN as part of four islands as a single state . France, recognizing the independence of the Comoros, unilaterally secured the status of its "territorial unit" for the island of Mayotte.
In 1976, after gaining independence by the Comoros , France vetoed a UN resolution on independence for Mayotte, citing the results of a referendum on the island (separating it from the entire archipelago as a whole). During the referendum, local residents opposed independence from France (more than 60% of the voters). The results of the referendum were partly related to the fears of Mayotte residents, especially local Christians, that the island would become part of the Islamic state, the declaration of which was expected in the Comoros (held in October 1978). The position of Comor was based on the total results of the referendum throughout the archipelago as a whole.
On December 6, 1979, the UN General Assembly recognized the rights of the state of the Comoros to the island of Mayotte (Maore) [1] [2] .
On March 29, 2009, residents of Mayotte in a referendum voted by majority vote to make the island a department of France. 95.2% of voters out of 61% of Mayotte residents who took part in the vote spoke in favor.
Finally, the status of the overseas department of France, the island of Mayotte received March 31, 2011 [3] and thus became the 101 department of France.
“Departmentalization” provides for the coalescence of the social and tax systems, the creation of a land cadastre, the revision and adjustment of the Mayotte Civil Code. According to estimates by the Secretary of State for Overseas Territories, Yves Jego, full integration will take 20-25 years and cost 200 million euros. Transformation into the overseas department of France will entail fundamental changes in the way of life of the islanders. They will have to abandon polygamy , in addition, the powers of Muslim judges, or “qadi,” will be substantially cut.
Representatives of the authorities of the Union of Comoros were wary of the referendum in Mayotte, which actually deprives them of the opportunity to create a single state from all Comoros. They accused France of colonial policy.
Comoros retain claims on the island of Mayotte (Maore), considering it an integral part and one of the 4 autonomous islands of the Union of Comoros state [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros // World Atlas / comp. and preparation. to the ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; ch. ed. G.V. Pozdnyak . - M .: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - S. 158. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
- ↑ UN General Assembly (34/69 of 12/06/1979) Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte
- ↑ Vyacheslav Yurin, Elise Kanyuel. Department 101, or How a Part of France Appeared in the Indian Ocean . The German Wave (April 3, 2011). Date of treatment March 7, 2011. Archived August 24, 2011.
- ↑ Constitution of the Union of Comoros (adopted by referendum on December 23, 2001)