Director of Overcrowded Mayotte Prison Resigns in Protest

Nicolas Jauniaux steps down to highlight dire conditions following a mutiny and hostage situation at the Majicavo facility.

Majicavo prison in Mayotte, housing 650 inmates in a facility meant for 278, faced a mutiny on September 28, resulting in a hostage situation.
Nicolas Jauniaux, the prison director, resigned to draw attention to the severe overcrowding and poor conditions for staff and inmates.
The Ministry of Justice sent additional staff from La Réunion and transferred some inmates to alleviate the situation temporarily.
Despite previous commitments, no concrete steps have been taken to establish a second prison on the island, exacerbating the crisis.
The prison's overcrowding rate is at 181%, significantly higher than the national average of 127.3% for French detention centers.