Mamoudzou-1

Mamoudzou is Mayotte's capital and economic engine, concentrating over half the department's formal economy in a dense urban area that has grown explosively since becoming prefecture in 1977. The city embodies France's migration crisis in microcosm: an estimated 100,000 of Mayotte's 320,000 residents are undocumented migrants from Comoros, many living in informal 'bangas' (slum dwellings) that Cyclone Chido devastated in December 2024 with hundreds of casualties. France's response—Operation Wuambushu 2 in 2024 and constitutional amendments ending birthright citizenship—aims to reduce arrivals, but Mamoudzou's economy depends on this informal workforce for construction, domestic labor, and agriculture. The city faces water scarcity so severe that rotating cuts affect residents for days; French government spending constitutes over 50% of GDP yet infrastructure remains decades behind mainland standards. GDP per capita (~€5,000) makes Mayotte France's poorest territory despite being wealthy by regional standards—a sink for both migration and fiscal transfers. By 2026, Mamoudzou must rebuild from Chido while implementing migration controls that could shrink its labor force.