End to birthright citizenship in France's Mayotte causes dismay in Comoros
Issued on:
![The Comoros village of Kangani on February 18, 2024.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/05e47ce6-d00b-11ee-999e-005056a97e36/w:980/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"COMOROS","hash":"0008a98305fce896fb5a1f6b6ec1bab49d64958af10bd3bdba761ee1b6c47ade","title":"'A%20better%20life%20for%20our%20children'%20in%20Mayotte","id":"25aba80c-45fb-11ec-90e2-005056bf30b7"}/AFP-TV_20240219_POL_COM_PoliticsGovernment_34JM7NK_en.mp4.00_00_14_07.Still001.webp)
Every year, thousands of people attempt the perilous 70km sea crossing from Comoros to the French overseas department of Mayotte in search of a better life there. But now, the French government has announced plans to take a radical step to deter more migrants from coming: denying citizenship to children born on Mayotte to foreign parents. For many in Comoros, itself a former French colony, the move has come as a shock, though not all are convinced it will stop people from attempting to leave.