Comoros — Departure Areas Monitoring Tool (DAMT) — Movements to Mayotte (June–December 2025)

Countries: Comoros, World Source: International Organization for Migration Please refer to the attached file. The first cycle of the Departure Areas Monitoring Tool (DAMT), implemented in the Comoros from June to December 2025, aimed to establish a system for monitoring irregular maritime movements along the Western Indian Ocean route toward Mayotte. This initial phase focused on setting up data collection mechanisms and validating key departure points across Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli. Six community focal points were identified, trained, and deployed to monitor reported migration events and confirm key departure hotspots, including Marahare, Sadapouani, and Chindini-Ourouveni. The methodology combined site mapping, community-based reporting, and standardized event tracking. However, the data remains indicative due to limitations in verification and the incomplete nature of available information. Findings confirm that the Comoros function as a critical transit corridor in the Mozambique Channel, with migrants traveling mainly from East and Central Africa, as well as directly from Madagascar, with the objective of reaching Mayotte. Malagasy nationals constituted the largest identified group, followed by Congolese, Burundians, and Rwandans, while a significant proportion of migrants could not be identified. Overall, this first DAMT cycle successfully established the operational foundations for systematic monitoring of irregular maritime migration in the Comoros, while confirming both the strategic importance of this route and the significant protection concerns affecting migrants.

Original source: Relief Web