at Mayotte airport, hundreds of people try to get a place on a plane to leave the archipelago

In Mayotte, on this Christmas Eve, some people dream of leaving the archipelago, at least temporarily. Eleven days after the passage of Cyclone Chido, the situation is extremely precarious on site. We still lack water and healthcare, so places are snapped up on the rare planes to Reunion. Mainland civil servants and their families sometimes wait for several days, directly at Mayotte airport, in the hope of catching one of these flights.

There are nearly 200 of them, many of them children, sitting on the ground, among the suitcases, in front of the airport: a game of dice to pass the time and the parents watching for the next call on the megaphone. A police officer announces, with her list of names in hand, the hundred people who will have the chance to take the next flight.

Roukia never stops waiting, she who has been teaching at the high school here for six years: “I have heart problems, my son is asthmatic, so I'm supposed to be on the priority list. We've been here since yesterday, we don't take anything into account. Here, it's total anarchy, there's no no organization. Let us know if we leave or if we don't leave, give us information, we don't ask for much!

In the heat of the early morning, some ask for toilets or food. But without being on the list, it is impossible to access the interior of the airport. Solène and Tatiana, both PE teachers, clench their teeth to avoid tears.“We've been waiting for two days already and now she tells us that normally, we'll all be there this evening, says Solène. They tell us that every day and every day we have false hopes, we hope to leave and in the end not at all.” Tatiana confirms: “There is very poor management of the lists. There are people who leave while they still have a roof over their heads. Personally, I no longer have a roof over my head. I live in a shared apartment , there are eight of us, it's raining inside.”

Some tourists, who saw their flights canceled, are also trying their luck. Most of these initial candidates are civil servants. Most often teachers, like Julie, who do not leave lightly: “It's very hard to say to ourselves that we're going to leave everyone like that, in trouble. We have the impression of being cowards, of abandoning them. And at the same time, I think of my children, I tell me that if we have a medical problem, I may not be able to treat them. It's not easy. I'm a National Education teacher, and it's certain that I'll come back in January to ensure my. mission with children who need to quickly find a routine.” Come back quickly, after having left the desolation of Mayotte behind for a while.