However, the 1794 decree was only implemented in Saint-Domingue, Guadeloupe and Guiana; it did not take effect in Mauritius, Réunion and Martinique, the last of which had been captured by the British and thus was unaffected by French law.
The colonial administration on Réunion had hindered the implementation of the 1794 law, while the one on Martinique refused to ratify it due to a royalist insurrection there, similar to that in the Vendée, which had been in revolt since 16 September 1793 and had, represented by planter Louis-François Dubuc, signed the Whitehall accord with the British government.
On 6 February 1794, the British began their capture of Martinique and established full control over the island on 21 March 1794, and thus the territory remained unaffected by the 1794 decree.
The reestablishment of slavery in Guadeloupe, first imposed militarily and illegally by General Richepanse, was formalized by another legislative measure, the consular decree of 16 July 1802 (27 Messidor year X).
[citation needed] The Law of 20 May 1802 had no effect in Saint-Domingue where slavery had been abolished by the 1793 Sonthonax and Polverel proclamation [fr].