a solidarity march in support of Mayotte in the streets of Saint-Denis

Six days after the passage of Cyclone Chido, the count of victims continues with difficulty. According to a new provisional report from the Ministry of the Interior, 35 people died, 67 people were seriously injured and 2,432 people were slightly injured.

In Saint-Denis, this Saturday morning, a solidarity march between the Petit Marché and the prefecture was organized by the Mayotte delegation in Reunion.

“Mayotte under water, under tears… Listen to our call”, “All united together for Mayotte”are the slogans affixed to the signs and banners of the people gathered for this solidarity march in support of the Mahorais.

A mobilization to prevent Mayotte from falling into oblivion following the damage caused by the passage of Cyclone Chido.

“I'm very happy, because there are still quite a few people who came today. It's really something important to travel to show our support for Mayotte. happened there, it’s catastrophic. We are here to support our island.” says a young Mahoraise living in Reunion.

The spokespersons for the Mayotte delegation in Reunion first thanked the aid and solidarity actions put in place, whether at the initiative of associations, public authorities or even individuals.

But they still insisted on the urgency of the situation. While the state of natural disaster was recognized yesterday for all 17 municipalities on the island devastated by the passage of Cyclone Chido, everyone agrees that it is necessary “more resources for Mayotte”and this, “as quickly as possible”.

“There were lots of donations. We had the opportunity to see several faces and several people of various ethnicities. It warms the heart to see that everyone is mobilizing, but it must continue like this to save our Mahorais colleagues “says a young woman in the crowd.

After the various calls to donations, there still remains the question of their delivery for the many Mahorais victims.

In the crowd of this solidarity march, many people reacted to Emmanuel Macron's controversial remarks. As a reminder, during his trip to Hippocampus Island, the President of the Republic met with Mahorais victims. Exchanges were then tense in Petite-Terre. Emmanuel Macron had proclaimed “You are happy to be in France! If it wasn’t France, you would be in 10,000 times more trouble!“.

“Emmanuel Macron said that we were lucky to be in a French department, but what luck?”protests a Mahoraise in the procession en route to the prefecture. We know that we are in a poor, underdeveloped department. We have all the advantages of being French only on paper, with France's influence on a global scale. But, in fact, we have all the disadvantages of being in France, because international aid would have come much more quickly if we were not French. We need to activate aid.”

“But today, we wonder where is the aid for Mayotte? Where are the sniffer dogs to look for survivors who are dying? Where are the tents to accommodate homeless families? Where are the tarpaulins that should be distributed to people who are in the rain? They are not in Mayotte. The supplies are rationed!exclaims another Mahoraise who was able to have news of her affected family in Mayotte.

Some members of the delegation from Mayotte to Reunion will be received by the Prefect this Saturday afternoon.