Kudrat Maliro
Comoros has deplored remarks by an official in Mayotte, a French Indian Ocean island off East Africa, that called for the killing of Comorian migrants.
Salime Mdere, Vice President of the State Assembly of Mayotte, had last week told local broadcaster La 1ere that "maybe we should kill some of them," to discourage other migrants.
It came ahead of a planned operation to expel irregular migrants, most of whom are allegedly from Comoros.
In an interview with TRT Afrika, the Comorian government spokesperson said he received the remarks with "great regret".
“His statement advocates hate and it does not correspond to the position he occupies. We would like to strengthen ties and collaboration between the two countries,” said Houmed Msaidiye.
'They left with our wealth'
He added: "“About 80% of Comorians who go to Mayotte do not need to stop, their final destination is Paris, Marseille, Reunion and elsewhere. Their goal is to go to France because this country has colonized us for more than 150 years. They left with our wealth."
French authorities have said an operation to expel the migrants would continue even after a local court ordered for its suspension.
France wants to move the migrants about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest to Anjouan, the nearest Comorian island.
Comoros has reportedly refused to admit the expelled individuals.
Mayotte became a French protectorate in 1841 and a department of France in 2011 after a referendum. Nearly half of its population has French citizenship.
