the essential
Emmanuel Macron continues his trip to Mayotte this Friday, December 20. All day Thursday, he had to deal with the distress of the victims, during often heated exchanges. The head of state promises to rebuild Mayotte thanks to “a special law”.
Emmanuel Macron must have suspected this. By going to Mayotte 5 days after the passage of Cyclone Chido, he was able to see the extent of the damage and the distress of many residents who often lost everything. Throughout the day Thursday, he was confronted with the impatience, anger and despair of the Mahorais.
Surrounded by young people and mothers Thursday evening, amid cries of “Macron resign”, “Water, water, water” or “you’re talking nonsense”, Emmanuel Macron raised his voice tone, in shirt and microphone in hand. He finally blurted out: “I’m not the cyclone! I’m not responsible!”
Faced with the cries of the crowd, without being able to detail the measures announced during the day, the head of state shouted: “Don’t pit people against each other! If you pit people against one another, we’re screwed, because you are happy to be in France Because if it wasn’t France you would be 10,000 times more in trouble!” And added: “There is no place in the Indian Ocean where we help people so much.”
?? “You’re happy to be in France! Because if it wasn’t France, you’d be 10,000 times more in trouble!” Very tense exchange between Emmanuel Macron and residents of Mayotte. (@brutofficiel)
— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) https://twitter.com/CerfiaFR/status/1869907541054107997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
An undoubtedly heavier toll
The devastation of Cyclone Chido and the difficulties of access to the island make it difficult to establish an accurate assessment. There are 31 dead and 2,500 injured, according to provisional figures. “It is likely that there are many more victims,” admitted Emmanuel Macron.
AFP
AFP
AFP
Visiting a slum
Emmanuel Macron, who was originally only supposed to spend one day in Mayotte, chose to extend his stay. He will leave Mamoudzou, the capital, to visit a slum this Friday. The power of the cyclone often pulverized the sheet metal housing in the poorest department in France. More than 100,000 inhabitants, or a third of the population, lived in precarious housing. Emmanuel Macron must also go to remote areas of the island where help takes longer to intervene and where drinking water and electricity take longer to be restored. The objective is to restore 50% of water and electricity by this Friday, for other municipalities it will be necessary to wait “several weeks”.
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DECRYPTION. In Mayotte, Emmanuel Macron seeks to regain control
A “special law” to rebuild Mayotte
To rebuild Mayotte, Emmanuel Macron promises “a special law”. It must make it possible to “end” slums, “remove” these “unworthy” and “dangerous” habitats. With the special law, deadlines will be shortened and construction made easier, like what was done to rebuild Notre-Dame-de-Paris or for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The President of the Republic does not did not give a deadline.
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Cyclone Chido in Mayotte: Emmanuel Macron decrees Monday December 23 as national mourning, with a moment of contemplation at 11 a.m.
In the medium term, Emmanuel Macron assured Thursday that it will be necessary to “strengthen the fight against illegal immigration” in Mayotte, going so far as to double deportations to the border. There were 22,000 in 2023. Mayotte is faced with regular arrivals from neighboring Comoros.
