President Emmanuel Macron ended the first day of his trip to Mayotte by participating in a crisis meeting with elected officials and other representatives of the department. Carla Baltus, the president of the local Medef, called for the implementation of a “Marshall plan”
At the Departmental Council of Mayotte, in Mamoudzou, this time it is the grievances of elected officials and consular officials from Mayotte, not to mention the representatives of the economic world, that President Emmanuel Macron listened to at length.
“It’s a war zone, it’s as if an atomic bomb had hit Mayotte. This is why we need a marshall plan!“, launched Carla Baltus, the president of Medef Mahorais, to raise awareness, once again, of the urgency of the situation and the extent of the damage. “We business leaders want to save our island“.
Watch the start of Emmanuel Macron’s intervention at the crisis meeting:
Speech by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron at the departmental council of Mayotte
“Like almost all residents, I no longer have access to water or electricity, and I sleep at town hall.“, confided Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of Mamoudzou. The human toll continues to rise and this tragedy is unfortunately not a surprise. For years, we have been warning about the danger of slums (…). The double punishment would be to let them rebuild“.
The subject, always so controversial, has always been the source of tension in the Perfume Island. At the start of the year, Mayotte was blocked by roadblocks set up by demonstrators complaining about insecurity and this migration problem.
“We must ban the rebuilding of slums“, launched the elected representative of the capital to the applause of the audience of the Departmental Council. “A legislative framework specific to Mayotte must be adopted. Difficult decisions are necessary to ensure that Mayotte does not become the largest cemetery in France even though we fear this is already the case“.
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“Our businesses and farms are all affected, some razed“, for his part recalled Sophie Dupy, a representative of the agri-food sector who requests a rapid assessment of the damage.
The plant sector suffered 100% damage. Cocoa professionals, the island’s emblematic sector, have also lost everything. “There is nothing left and it will take 5 to 6 years to recover. It’s the same for many other sectors.“.
Everyone repeats that the Mahorais are “not beggars” and do not want a never-ending compensation process. Farmers wonder what tools they will use to produce. “We’re not going to eat rocks! That’s the emergency: rebuilding buildings and greenhouses to produce“.
The urgency and importance of distributing food and water to the population were once again recalled by all those involved, while the state of exceptional natural calamity was declared this Thursday, December 19.
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“Don’t waste energy speaking in the past conditional, speak in the present and future“, responded Emmanuel Macron in the face of this painful state of affairs and the discontent of elected officials, regarding the shortcomings of State action made all the more complicated than the Mahorais demographic puzzle.
“France was hit by a cyclone of unprecedented violence“, he added to highlight the scale of the phenomenon and the difficult management of this crisis. “Mayotte and the whole of France are shaken by this situation which comes on top of multiple crises. I am very touched by the resilience and commitment I see in everyone : caregivers, firefighters, elected officials“.
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“For me, we have three stages: emergency, stabilization and reconstruction“, he added. “The emergency is what we have been experiencing for six days: the question of drinking water and food“.
The president recalled that insured victims would be supported thanks to the recognition of the state of natural disaster, which will also benefit businesses and farmers, not to mention the activation of a compensation fund for those who are not covered. .
Regarding security, 1,200 security forces will be deployed. Of the “reinforced safety features“will also be put in place in neighborhoods exposed to looting. The curfew, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., could also be maintained.”We need to maintain order night and day“, added Emmanuel Macron.
As part of the so-called stabilization phase, it is the health issue that is important with the risk of the spread of epidemics, particularly with cholera or dengue fever.
“I hope that in the reconstruction of Mayotte, we favor the economic offer to rebuild“
