The island of Mayotte, a French possession in the Indian Ocean, has just been devastated by cyclone Chido. The damage is considerable, and aid to the local population is proving to be inadequate. French politicians are denouncing a lack of consideration for the overseas territories, as well as the failure to deal with illegal migration on the island, which is exacerbating the precarious situation of the population.
The archipelago, hit by a violent storm, caused by cyclone Chido on Saturday, December 14th, is “totally devastated” in the words of outgoing interior minister Bruno Retailleau, who visited the island. Thousands of people have no access to water or electricity. The chairman of the departmental council warned of the risk of a health crisis. In addition to possible epidemics, he spoke of “a risk of famine” due to the destruction of local agricultural production, particularly banana plantations.
An air bridge has been set up with military aircraft to ensure a minimum level of supplies. Every day, a military aircraft takes off from mainland France for La Réunion Island, the only platform available to come to the aid of Mayotte, where the commercial airport of Mayotte-Dzaoudzi is out of service. The neighbouring archipelago of the Comoros is in the same condition as Mayotte, and cannot be used as a relay base. The problem is that the island of La Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, is more than 1,400 km from Mayotte, a 3 hour 35 minute flight. With landing conditions so poor, only small aircraft are currently able to provide the link, and reinforcements are arriving very slowly. With the sea raging, virtually no help is arriving by sea either, given that the French Navy ships on La Réunion would have to spend two to three days sailing to reach Mayotte.
Given the scale of the destruction, President Macron has announced a day of national mourning. He is due to visit the archipelago in the next few days, as is the new prime minister François Bayrou. 200 members of the French Red Cross are already missing. The provisional death toll has already risen to 22, but estimates are very difficult, given the difficulties of communication.
Both the Left and the Rassemblement National (RN)—which traditionally defends the interests of the overseas territories with great energy—have criticised the government’s response to the drama unfolding on Mayotte. Marine Le Pen, who has long been viewed with suspicion there, is now seeing her popularity ratings rise steadily.
In Mayotte, our compatriots who escaped this devastation are thirsty and hungry. Some are cut off from all means of communication and have no news of their loved ones. Our Member of Parliament Anchya Bamana is sounding the alarm! This is a vital emergency! We feel powerless in the face of this devastation, forced to rely on our valiant rescue teams. The RN-run municipalities are voting to provide aid for Mayotte, but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the needs. It’s a heartbreaking situation.
The attitude of Prime Minister François Bayrou to the tragedy in Mayotte has been strongly criticised. On the evening of Monday, December 16th, while an emergency council was scheduled in Paris to rule on the state of the archipelago and the aid to be provided, he preferred to travel to the southwest, to Pau, the town where he is mayor, to take part in a town council meeting—all in a presidential jet. Despite his appointment as prime minister, he intends to keep his post as mayor and attended the emergency council meeting by videoconference from his town hall.
MPs on all sides questioned his sense of priorities. Far-left La France Insoumise MP Clémence Guetté, vice-president of the National Assembly, said on X that France did not need an “illegitimate part-time prime minister.” RN MP Laure Lavalette felt that “the timing was pretty bad.” Lastly, centre-right LR MP Thibault Bazin echoed this view, telling the prime minister:
Pau City Council could do without your presence this evening, given the situation in Mayotte and the urgent need to get a government in place as soon as possible to give France a budget to protect the French people.
Outgoing interior minister Retailleau took the opportunity to reiterate the urgent need to deal with the migratory invasion that is overwhelming the archipelago. “Mayotte cannot be rebuilt without dealing with the migration issue with the utmost determination,” he declared. He then called for a law to be passed as a “national priority” to enable “France to regain control of its immigration.” However, the leader of the Socialist party described the minister’s call as “indecent.”
Locals now fear an explosion of crime in an uncontrolled struggle for survival, with looting and violence.
