French President Emmanuel Macron extended his visit to the island of Mayotte, devastated by Cyclone Chido, despite a cool reception from residents of the overseas department.
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Macron skipped Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels to visit Mayotte.
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“I decided to spend the night here because I felt that leaving the same day could reinforce the idea that we ‘come, see, leave’. It’s a sign of respect,” Macron told reporters on Thursday evening.
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On Friday, Macron is expected to leave Mamoudzou, the administrative center of the French Indian Ocean department, to visit the island’s most remote communities, which are experiencing difficulties with energy supplies, drinking water and food.
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As he walked around the capital of Mayotte on Thursday, the president faced the anger and despair of local residents who chanted for his resignation.
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“The cyclone is to blame, not me,” the president justified himself.
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Earlier, the BFMTV channel reported that the number of victims of the Chido cyclone in Mayotte had increased to 31, about 1.4 thousand people were injured. President Macron declared December 23 a day of national mourning.
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Mayotte is considered the poorest department in France. It is an island in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Following a referendum held in 1974, the Comoros Islands achieved independence from France. At the same time, in Mayotte the majority of the population opposed it, and it remained French territory, despite the claims of the Comorian authorities. In 2011, Mayotte was assigned the status of an overseas department of France.
