Traditional songs and dances welcomed when he arrived this week on the Indian Ocean territory of — unlike his last visit, when he was greeted by furious, desperate residents reeling from a devastating cyclone.
But while daily life is improving, the impact of in December still dominated Macron’s latest trip to this archipelago near Madagascar, the poorest corner of France. Mayotte’s worst cyclone in a century killed dozens and left more than 2,000 injured, flattened homes and cut off power, communications and water supplies.
After a contentious visit in December, Macron was careful as he toured Mayotte on Monday. He brought new promises for reconstruction aid for the territory’s 320,000 residents, and for a French authorities estimate another 100,000 migrants live in Mayotte, many in tin-roof shantytowns easily flatted by storms.
Electricity and telephone service have now been restored, and the drinking water network is functioning again — though with intermittent outages because of chronic production shortages that often even before the cyclone.
“Mayotte isn’t down, but it isn’t up yet,” summarizes Estelle Youssouffa, a lawmaker representing Mayotte in France’s National Assembly.
Residents of the village of Tsingoni — known for a centuries-old mosque considered the oldest operating in France — still come to their mayor for reconstruction help. Some homes still need roofs replaced, or to be entirely rebuilt.
When the president visited Tsingoni, Mayor Issilamou Hamada said he was afraid residents’ emotions would “overflow.”
During Macron’s discussions with the local population, some told him that his earlier promises were still not being fulfilled.
“We feel alone. I lost everything, my nursing practice was in my house. The roof is gone, I no longer have a computer. I’ve been forced to work on my phone ever since,” said Siti Madi, who uses a temporary office in another village.
Residents said banks aren’t yet granting zero-interest loans that were promised for reconstruction. Authorities warn of health risks because waste caused by the cyclone hasn’t all been cleaned up. The department is also experiencing its first cases of chikungunya, a disease transmitted by mosquito bites.
Macron tried to reassure everyone.
“Is everything settled? No, we are in a stabilization phase. There are legitimate concerns, there are many things that still need to be improved. And we are in the process of addressing them,” he said.
The government presented two bills right after his visit that include tax breaks for businesses and the establishment of a structure dedicated to reconstruction, like the one Macron created for rebuilding in Paris.
Estimating the cost of reconstruction at 3.2 billion euros ($3.6 billion), Macron acknowledged that the bills “will not be enough to solve all of Mayotte’s problems.”
Mayotte is accustomed to struggles, and big promises from faraway Paris.
Mayotte’s regional council president Ben Issa Ousseni believes the proposed legislation “does not yet meet the aspirations of the Mahoran people.” He said he would continue to fight for more, including a long-promised runway extension at the airport of Pamandzi aimed at boosting tourism and economic development.
Macron said he was ready to discuss inequalities between Mayotte and the rest of France. Its minimum wage and pensions are lower than elsewhere, while the cost of living can be higher than in mainland France because of its dependence on imported goods and services.
Macron also reinforced promises for a plan to stem illegal immigration to Mayotte, called ″Oura wa chaba″ or Iron Wall in the Mahorais language, to more quickly prevent the arrival of migrants from the Comoros Islands, Madagascar and Tanzania fleeing poverty or conflict zones elsewhere in Africa.
Macron maintained support for a rule restricting foreigners who arrive in Mayotte from traveling elsewhere in France, citing Mayotte’s “deeply abnormal migration situation.”
The president traveled next to the French territory of Reunion, where he announced new tax breaks to boost the local economy.
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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
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