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In Mayotte, many candidates are leaving for the neighboring island of Anjouan
Shopping bags, baskets or large suitcases in hand, around a hundred people wait at the port of Dzaoudzi, in Mayotte, to embark for the neighboring Comorian island of Anjouan. Since Wednesday, nearly 650 Comorians and Franco-Comorians have left the archipelago devastated by Cyclone Chido by boat. This “unconditional” humanitarian repatriation (without conditions of status and financial resources) was put in place by the French and Comorian authorities. Departure is by boat, daily since Wednesday, and concerns Comorians, Franco-Comorians as well as departing foreigners, stranded since the passage of the cyclone which caused at least 39 officially recorded deaths and colossal damage in Mayotte. Hassanati Assane is originally from Anjouan, one of the three large islands making up the Union of the Comoros and less than 70 km from Mayotte. Arriving before the cyclone for medical reasons, she ultimately left without having seen a doctor. “The hospital is not working, there are no more cars, there is nothing… Everything is devastated, I said to myself that it is better for me to go home,” confides she to AFP.At the port of Dzaoudzi, in Petite-Terre, the police are coordinating the system. The instructions are given out loud to the hundred people waiting to enter the station. “Prepare your identity papers,” he is instructed. The operation is sometimes impossible for people who have lost everything. “How do I know that you are Comorian then?” asks a police officer to a woman who presents herself with her two children, school bag on her back. Photos on the phone, a piece of proof, papers belonging to the children make it possible to resolve the situation. – Passengers turned away – The authorities indicate that the system will be maintained as long as the airport remains closed to commercial flights and that there will be Comorians who wish to return home. If many, who have lost everything, indicate that they want to return to their respective islands to seek help, financial support or simply comfort with the intention of returning later, for others, Anjouan is the departure point. to other territories. “I don’t have my ticket yet, but apparently there are free passages,” explains Derrick Kambi. The young man was born and raised in Mayotte but can provide proof of a Comorian identity card. “My goal is to get to France, as at the moment it’s blocked in Mayotte.” Foreigners who want to return to their country of origin and who have a return ticket can also come to Dzaoudzi. Farna Abdallah had to fly back to Nantes, where she studies, and like many, she had heard through word of mouth about the possibility of leaving Dzaoudzi. It was only on arriving there that the young girl from Majicavo, in the east of Mayotte, and of French nationality, learned that she was not affected by the system. “If I had managed to get to Anjouan, I could have left for Moroni (Grande Comore). From there, I would have taken a plane to Nairobi and so on. There, I no longer know what to do,” says Farna Abdallah, before stomping back to her father’s house, her two large suitcases in her hand. Around the station, sitting on the ground, around ten other French people were unable to board the Gombessa, a boat from the SGTM company (Société de gestion et de transport maritime) requisitioned by the State in order to ensure these repatriations. “I was supposed to leave for Moroni on December 16,” sighs Nathalie Chamassi, her child and her suitcases beside her. “I took time off on purpose for this. To apply for my dual nationality. What can I do if they don’t let me go?” Since the start of the operation, more than 150 French people stranded in the Comoros have been repatriated to Mayotte. On Saturday, more than 70 people took the boat to Anjouan. “Good luck, Mayotte,” said a passenger just before boarding.str/asl/jco
