national day of mourning after Cyclone Chido

Between sadness and anger, some with tears in their eyes, two hundred people showed their support in Mayotte, Saturday in Marseille, the majority of Mahorais and Comorians united by anguish and the feeling of a « abandon » by the State of the French island, noted journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Marseille is home to a large community from the Indian Ocean archipelago, depending on sources between 80,000 and 150,000 people, Comorians, dual nationals and French from Mayotte.

Norro Issan, computer scientist, Comorian, told AFP the “48 hours of horror” where she waited for news of her sister, fortunately safe and sound. “But for my cousin, I have no news, I don’t know if she is alive or if she is dead”worries the young woman, “angry because it happened in Mayotte, with all the problems that this department has been experiencing for so long”. Asma Mdahoma, a 29-year-old from Mahor, came to “relay the voices” members of his family. “It’s chaosrelate-t-elle, there is no water or electricity. »

Several deputies from La France insoumise were also present at the demonstration, including Sébastien Delogu, for whom “it’s class contempt that has killed these last few days”. After a minute of silence for the victims of the cyclone, the group, joined by the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, set off in the middle of the afternoon towards the Old Port.

The left-wing councilor said “understand that this department feels abandoned”believing that he “is not treated like other French departments”. Or, “it is not acceptable that in Mayotte women have seven years less life expectancy than women in mainland France, that men have eleven years less life expectancy than men in mainland France”a dit M. Payan. “The city of Marseille is not the French state but we will give all the means we have for the people of Mayotte”assured the city councilor, recalling his desire to “make ambulances, firefighters and medicine available to the Mahorean people”.