During his visit to Mamoudzou, the Prime Minister listed several measures which should be part of the “Mayotte standing” plan. Its implementation should begin on January 3.
It’s time to rebuild Mayotte and François Bayrou announced his “Mayotte standing” plan to achieve this. The Prime Minister was traveling to Mamoudzou, capital of Mayotte, on Monday December 30, to visit the victims and local elected officials. He promised them “precise and clear decisions”, sixteen days after the passage of Cyclone Chido which left at least 39 dead in Mayotte, according to the latest report which remains provisional.
Restoring infrastructure
One of the main demands of the Mahorais is the restoration of water and electricity everywhere on the island. Indeed, the victims complained about the content of the aid sent to Mayotte, since it could not be used without water or electricity, like flour.
“Electricity must be restored to every home at the end of January,” assured the Prime Minister. Today, barely more than half of the population of the archipelago has access to it, according to an update sent by the Élysée. “200 more agents” should be assigned to Electricité de Mayotte, according to François Bayrou, who specifies that “local labor would be hired”. Two hundred generators, or “around ten per municipality”, should also be sent.
Water is also a source of concern for the Mahorais who only have access to it “two days out of three for eight hours”, according to government information. François Bayrou announced that he would call on specialized army units to help restore the water network. He promised that the “pre-Chido production”, i.e. “38,000 m³ per day” would be “reached next week” and that it would be increased to “40,000 m³ per day” before “June 30, 2025”. .
Communication restored thanks to Starlink
Communication networks were largely damaged by the hurricane and have not yet been restored. The Prime Minister announced the deployment of 200 Starlink antennas, the technology developed by Elon Musk allowing access to the Internet. This, also used in Ukraine, will ensure “emergency communications” in Mayotte. François Bayrou also announced the deployment of a “5G solution” within six months with an investment of “200 million euros over two years” in order to deploy optical fiber in Mayotte.
What solution for students?
The start of the school year takes place on January 6 for all school children in France, but the schools in Mayotte have been almost all destroyed, and those still standing serve as reception centers for the victims. “As the return to school cannot take place under normal conditions, it will be done establishment by establishment”, explains the Prime Minister, from January 13. A return to school delayed by a week, which gives families more time to get organized. “Temporary schooling can be organized in France” for families who wish it. “Evacuations of colleges, schools and high schools” occupied by the victims should be organized.
But for that, we will have to find accommodation solutions for people who have lost everything. For this, François Bayrou relies on an observation he made on December 31, in front of the press visiting Reunion. He estimates that one in four people are present illegally in the territory. The Prime Minister therefore speaks of “deportation to the border for those who are in an irregular situation”, which will greatly reduce the number of people to be “sheltered”.
Slums and immigration in the viewfinder of François Bayrou
“The State and local public authorities agree to prohibit and prevent the reconstruction of slums,” promises the Prime Minister, “there will be interventions to get us out of this infernal cycle, we cannot let Mayotte become the capital of slums. It must be said that a large part of the homes that were destroyed during the cyclone are part of these giant shanty towns that covered the island, a symbol of the precariousness of some of its inhabitants.
In Reunion, on December 31, to visit the rescue teams passing through this neighboring island, François Bayrou spoke again to the press. He assures that the slums of Mayotte are “the most dangerous and deadliest on the planet”. He considers this situation unbearable, in the same way as immigration, mainly from the Comoros, “uncontrolled and uncontrollable”. He was very firm in assuring that he “will never accept people saying that we do not have the means” to fight against this immigration.
The special law
All these measures will be voted on with the famous special law, promised by Emmanuel Macron after his visit to Mayotte. François Bayrou announced that it would be presented to the Council of Ministers on January 3 “with a presentation to Parliament within fifteen days”. Another law “program for the refoundation of Mayotte” will be prepared with local elected officials within three months. A new census will also be launched to “remove ambiguities and inconsistencies in the numerical assessment of the population”.
François Bayrou also announced the reopening of the airport to commercial flights on January 1, the sending of additional gendarmes and police officers, with the “training of 300 Mahorais gendarmes and auxiliaries”, as well as measures to develop the health system. .