The new French Prime Minister François Bayrou arrived in Mayotte on Monday for an intense day of travel on the island devastated by Cyclone Chido, where concrete responses from the government are eagerly awaited by residents.
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His plane landed on Monday at 5:40 a.m. local time (2:40 a.m. UT) at Mamoudzou airport, the capital of this French archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. François Bayrou is accompanied by five ministers including two of the heavyweights of his government announced a week ago: Ministers of State Elisabeth Borne (Education) and Manuel Valls (Overseas).
In the holds of the government Airbus are 2.5 tons of humanitarian equipment, including water purification tablets, equipment for providing care and equipment for patients undergoing dialysis, Matignon said.
Continuation of the delivery of aid, reconstruction, education and the inevitably disrupted return to school: the government’s new measures are expected on the island, two weeks after the passage of Chido, which caused the death of 39 people and more than 5,600 injured, according to a report from the Mayotte prefecture published on Sunday.
Meetings with many actors
The most devastating cyclone to hit the island in 90 years caused colossal damage on December 14 in the poorest department in France, where emergency services have since been hard at work restoring essential services such as water, electricity and communications networks.
The day begins at 7:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. UT) with a visit to the Petite Terre desalination plant, the small island to the east of the main island, followed by that of the Kaweni 2 college in Mamoudzou and the field hospital installed after the cyclone.
Several meetings are planned with economic players, the world of education, security forces and local elected officials.
“ François Bayrou wants to meet a lot of people », Explains a source at Matignon to Victor Willaumejournalist in the political service. This same source recognizes that the reception of the Mahorais “ given the seriousness of the situation » could be difficult sometimes.
At the end of this day, François Bayrou will speak to the departmental council before going in the evening to the French island of Reunion, an important logistical base for aid to Mayotte, located 1,435 kilometers away, where he will continue his visit Tuesday morning before returning to the metropolis.
Choices criticized in the midst of the crisis
François Bayrou experienced a first and intense controversy by going, two days after the cyclone, to Pau (south-west) to chair the municipal council of the city of which he has been mayor since 2014. The announcement of the composition of his government on Monday , a day declared of national mourning, was also criticized.
His arrival scrutinized and awaited by the Mahorais of mainland France, who gathered this weekend in Paris to express their feeling of abandonment. Some of them did not digest the words of Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Mayotte : “He humiliated us,” a student confided to RFI. “ He made offensive remarks that I do not want to quote here. He told us that it is a service, a favor that is done to us to be French, even though we chose and our ancestors fought for us to remain French. It’s just sad and it hurts a lot », Explains a young woman from the north of the island.
Some Mahorais in Paris explain having lost hope regarding possible government action: “ For decades there have been members of the government who have been going to Mayotte, they have promised a lot, but nothing has ever been done. I don’t expect much, because it will always be the same song. »
Report in Paris during a Mahorais demonstration
Mahorais waiting for “ concrete answers »
On the spot, collectives of Mahorese citizens demand “ concrete answers » and immediate comments from the Prime Minister. In an open letter, they denounce “ the glaring inadequacy of the measures » support after the cyclone. And they ask “ a rapid and structured reconstruction plan “, the creation of a “ exceptional solidarity fund » to compensate the victims, including the uninsured, and the “ elimination of property taxes for the current year “.
For Atoumani, like many Mahorais, the question of education is a priority. “ We are waiting for announcements, because we do not know what we are going to do with all the children who must be in school. The establishments [scolaires] are ransacked », he explains to our correspondent in Mayotte, Lola Fourmy.
Report from Petite-Terre before François Bayrou’s visit to Mayotte
The fate of Mayotte must be the subject of a special bill, which could be presented at a ministerial meeting scheduled for Friday.