After the passage of Cyclone Chido which devastated the Mayotte archipelago, a day of national mourning took place on Monday December 23. Between symbolic actions and collective meditation, a minute of silence was observed.
Emmanuel Macron announced it on December 19. In support of the victims of Cyclone Chido which devastated the Mayotte archipelago, a day of national mourning decreed by the President of the Republic takes place on Monday December 23. At least 35 people according to a provisional toll, estimated much higher by the authorities. A minute of silence was observed at 11 a.m. across the country. The Prime Minister, François Bayrou organized the modalities of this day and underlined a “communion in mourning” with the Mahorais in this moment of contemplation before evoking the “sense of a commitment” of the French nation, “for rebuild Mayotte and make the Mahorais feel surrounded by an entire country.”
The resigning Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau praised “national solidarity”. “Never have such logistics, so massive, and so immediate, been deployed,” said the minister, recalling that 800 firefighters and 300 gendarmes were deployed for relief efforts.
A first since 1930
If in the past, national days of mourning resulted in the cessation of the country’s activities or the closure of administrations or courts, the situation has evolved for several years. On Monday, mourning was transcribed via the symbols of the Republic. “There are few legal provisions on how these days should be held, but flags are flown at half-mast on public buildings and structures,” the site said. Public lifeattached to the Prime Minister’s office. “National mourning is not a ceremony, unlike national tribute and national funerals,” he added. The flags are notably at half mast.
This is the first time since 1930 that national mourning has been observed following a natural disaster. The event is exceptional and has only taken place ten times since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. Other national mournings in tribute to the victims of attacks (September 11, Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, Nice) or after the deaths of Presidents of the Republic (from De Gaulle in 1970 to Giscard d’Estaing in 2020) took place by the past.