He will travel “in the next few days” to the affected area
Dec. 16 () –
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced this Monday that he will declare “national mourning” for the passage of cyclone ‘Chido’ on the island of Mayotte, which could have left hundreds of victims, and will travel “in the coming days” to the affected area.
“I will travel to Mayotte in the coming days to support our fellow citizens, public officials and mobilized relief forces,” he indicated in a message on the X social network after the crisis meeting, adding that “all measures” necessary will be taken to help its inhabitants.
Approximately 100,000 inhabitants reside in Mayotte without any documentation, in addition to some 320,000 who appear in the official census. French authorities have deployed up to 800 officers and 400 gendarmes in the last 48 hours.
The Overseas Minister, François-Noël Buffet, stated this Monday from Mayotte that the island is “really devastated” and that “nowhere is being saved”, which is why he appealed to the solidarity of the French, as reported by the BFM TV network.
For his part, the outgoing Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, has indicated that the authorities are considering imposing a curfew. “It is a tool that the prefect can activate if he considers it necessary,” he added at a press conference.
Retailleau admitted earlier in the day that it will be “days and days” until there is an official toll of victims. The Muslim tradition professed by 95 percent of the population of this overseas territory, located between Madagascar and the southeastern coast of continental Africa, requires the burial of the deceased within a maximum period of 24 hours.
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