Frustrated residents of Mayotte, reeling from the devastation of Cyclone Chido, heckled French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit on Friday, criticizing the slow distribution of food and water nearly a week after the cyclone struck the Indian Ocean territory.
In Tsingoni, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, locals braved the 31°C (88°F) heat to air their grievances. “Seven days, and you’re not able to give water to the population!” one man shouted. Macron assured residents that water distribution centers were being set up, responding, “I understand your impatience. You can count on me.”
Macron extended his trip to assess the aftermath of the storm, the worst to hit Mayotte in 90 years. However, tensions flared the previous evening when crowds accused his government of neglecting the impoverished territory, chanting for his resignation. Macron retorted sharply, “You are happy to be in France. If it wasn’t for France, you would be 10,000 times worse off,” using an expletive to emphasize his point.
Desperate for Water
In the Kaweni shantytown near the capital Mamoudzou, resident Ali Djimoi described the dire conditions. “The water running from pipes—when it works—is dirty and undrinkable,” he said. He also recounted how two storm victims in his neighborhood were buried near a mosque shortly after their deaths, in keeping with Muslim tradition.
Officially, 31 fatalities have been confirmed in Mayotte, but the full extent of the disaster remains unclear. Many victims were buried before they could be recorded, and the presence of undocumented migrants complicates the population count. While Mayotte’s official population is listed as 321,000, some believe it is significantly higher.
Aboubacar Ahamada Mlachahi, a construction worker from Comoros, said the cyclone destroyed his home, forcing him to seek shelter on a hillside near Longoni port. “What matters first is water, for the children. Before fixing houses or anything else, we need water,” he pleaded.
A Struggling Territory
Mayotte, the poorest of France’s overseas territories, faces severe challenges, with three-quarters of its population living below the national poverty line. The storm has intensified the region’s dependency on aid from metropolitan France.
Cyclone Chido, which has also claimed 73 lives in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi, underscores the vulnerability of the region to extreme weather events. Rescue operations in Mayotte continue to prioritize reaching remote areas, particularly hillside shantytowns, where many remain cut off from assistance.