A month ago, Cyclone Chido devastated Mayotte and left at least 39 dead and more than 5,000 injured, according to the latest report. First cut off from the world, the archipelago is now healing its wounds. The government assures that 70% of homes have regained electricity, but in reality, living conditions remain very difficult. Between resourcefulness and frustration, Raphaël Delvolvé collected some impressions from the Mahorais he met on site.
Since Chido, two sounds resonate more than the others Mayotte : that of the jail and that of the chainsaws. Clearing operations continue in the archipelago, where no place seems spared. “ This time it really hit the island hard. You see the damage », Notes Aramadi Salim, a driver. He drives trucks in the morning and a taxi in the afternoon in Mamoudzou, the prefecture.
In these settings of destroyed vegetation and roads littered with debris and waste, Aramadi Salim sees a very slight improvement: “ It’s starting to change. We spent a week in the dark and without water. We struggled here and there to find water. Since the electricity came back, things have been going well. » He returned to his work with many constraints: “ Just to get fuel, you have to queue like crazy. »
This semblance of a return to normal only exists in Mamoudzou. In the north of the archipelago, affected by the eye of the storm, things are much more complicated. “ The boat is my work tool. If I don’t have a boat, I can’t work », confides a fisherman, in front of a bay where most of the boats have turned over. This man from the town of Hamjago feels abandoned: “ We are a little excluded from the Mamoudzou zone, even in terms of information. »
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Illegal immigration weighs on reconstruction
Information is undoubtedly the most precious thing after water and food in Mayotte. Contacts with authorities and insurance companies remain impossible in places. And the doubts are growing stronger. “ Why are they hiding the truth? Half of the population of Hamjago does not have electricity », annoys Faoulati, mother. In her traditional outfit, she lets her anger explode: “ It’s inhumane. Help who have arrived, we do not see them here, to the north. Everything is focused on the shanty towns which bring together people who have entered the territory illegally. And we count for nothing. »
The slums, called bangas here, are the symbol of another problem in Mayotte: illegal immigration, largely from Comoros. The feeling of overcrowding of some 374 km² of the territory and saturation of public services increased after the cyclone in the most remote areas.
Mari Atibou, who lives in the south of Mayotte, says: “ It’s a big problem in Mayotte at the moment. When you look, all the bangas are already assembled. It’s time to sort all this out. » During his visit two weeks ago, the Prime Minister François Bayrou promised not only to tackle the migration issue, but also to rebuild Mayotte in two years.
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