On December 14, Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte, France’s poorest colony in the Indian Ocean, leaving much of the islands’ infrastructure in ruins. Torrential rain and violent winds caused widespread devastation, with local officials fearing the death toll could climb into the thousands, although exact numbers still remain uncertain.
Health infrastructure, including major hospital departments and health centers, was devastated by the cyclone, while other critical facilities such as fire stations and airport buildings also sustained significant damage. With communications down, many residents were still unable to contact friends and family as of Monday, and large portions of housing had been flattened to the ground, according to local reports.
While French authorities lamented the cyclone’s impacts as a devastating consequence of climate change, local residents and left-wing movements argue that it is, in fact, a human-made disaster. France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) representative Manuel Bompard stated on Monday, December 16, that Mayotte has been neglected for decades, leaving thousands of people living in shantytowns without access to basic necessities like water.
A majority of Mayotte’s population lives below the poverty line, according to French national data. Around 40% of the islands’ 320,000 residents survive on less than €200 per month, a stark contrast to the French national net minimum wage of €1,400. Despite these economic hardships, the islands continue to receive large groups of migrants from nearby Comoros and other countries, drawn by the hope that Mayotte’s status as a French “overseas territory” promises better living conditions.
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Yet, instead of implementing policies to address the lasting effects of colonization in Mayotte, successive French governments have offered, at best, emergency assistance, and at worst, increased repression. Those arriving from nearby countries have often faced violence at the hands of authorities, while proposals have been floated to limit automatic French citizenship at birth in an effort to make the territory “less attractive” to newcomers. Social and economic policies designed in Paris have envisioned the demolition of shantytowns, but without offering any concrete plans to rebuild dignified, sustainable housing.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, President Emmanuel Macron and caretaker Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced the mobilization of aid and troops from mainland France and Réunion to help clear debris and restore basic services. Macron stated that the entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Mayotte. Yet, according to Bompard, emergency aid, “while necessary, will not be enough.” The parliamentarian urged for structural interventions to “lift Mayotte out of the deep neglect it has been plunged into.”
Similarly, France Unbowed stated: “This tragedy highlights the structural shortcomings the island has endured for far too long. Mayotte, often neglected by public policies, deserves far more than just emergency measures.”
