AA / Paris / Ümit Dönmez
French Prime Minister François Bayrou will visit Mayotte on December 29 and 30, Matignon announced. This trip comes as the archipelago is struggling to recover from the passage of Cyclone Chido, which caused considerable damage in mid-December, leaving 39 dead and thousands affected.
In a press release, the Prime Minister’s services specified that François Bayrou will be accompanied by several members of the government, including Élisabeth Borne, Minister of Education, and Manuel Valls, Minister of Overseas Territories. This visit, described as “symbolic”, comes after criticism addressed to the executive over its management of the crisis.
During a question session in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, leader of the LFI deputies, denounced the absence of François Bayrou at a crisis meeting on Mayotte, held on December 16 at the Élysée. He preferred to sit on the municipal council of Pau, where he is mayor, triggering a lively controversy. “Pau is in France,” he replied to his detractors, a sentence which fueled criticism of his lack of empathy for Mayotte.
Two weeks after Chido’s passage, living conditions on the archipelago remain disastrous. Authorities report that water distributions are still necessary, and that the electricity network remains partially out of service. In addition to human losses, the destruction of homes and infrastructure considerably complicates reconstruction.
François Bayrou’s trip could also aim to re-establish a dialogue between the executive and the Mahorese population, while Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to the island was marked by tensions. The latter had promised increased mobilization to accelerate reconstruction, but delays in the humanitarian response continue to fuel frustrations.
This move comes in a broader context of government reshuffle, François Bayrou having recently appointed a new team. By visiting Mayotte, he also intends to emphasize government cooperation in the face of a national crisis.
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