Destructive Cyclone Chido Unearths the Failure of France’s Colonial Project in Mayotte

By SAM MEDNICK and THOMAS ADAMSON

11:37 AM EST, December 22, 2024

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — When Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure, it also exposed deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population.

Thousands of people who have entered the island as workers bore the brunt of the storm that tore through the Indian Ocean archipelago — France’s poorest colony. Authorities in Mayotte said many migrants avoided emergency shelters out of fear of deportation, leaving themselves and the precarious shantytowns they inhabit even more vulnerable to the devastation.

Meanwhile, anger simmered among residents who accused the government of diverting the island’s already scarce resources to migrants at their expense.

“We are the legitimate population of this island,” said Amada Salime. Standing in the rubble of his home on Saturday, he added, “If there is help from the government — water or something to eat or money to make houses — Mahorais people will not have it. Immigrants are more numerous than us, and we will be left behind.”

Mayotte, a French colony located between Madagascar and mainland Africa, has a population of 320,000. French authorities have estimated another 100,000 migrants also live there, most of whom have arrived from the nearby Comoros Islands, just 70 kilometers (43 miles) away.

The island’s fragile public services, designed for a much smaller population, are buckling under the strain. According to the French statistics agency INSEE, around three-quarters of Mayotte’s population live in poverty, with a median annual disposable income just one-eighth that of the Paris metropolitan area.

“The problems of Mayotte cannot be solved without addressing illegal immigration,” French President Emmanuel Macron said during his testy visit this week, acknowledging the challenges posed by the island’s rapid population growth. “Despite the state’s investments, migratory pressure has made everything explode,” he added.

The cyclone further exacerbated the island’s issues after destroying homes, schools and infrastructure. Though the official death toll remains 35, authorities say that any estimates are likely major undercounts, with hundreds feared dead.

The migrants’ shantytowns, known as “bangas,” have long been an issue in Mayotte. “Can we solve the issue of shantytowns today? The answer is no. We will address it during the stabilization and rebuilding phase,” Macron said.

For many migrants, like Nazca Antoiy, a Comorian who has lived in Mayotte for a decade, the cyclone has heightened fears of displacement.

“I heard that people were told not to reconstruct new houses. So we need to worry about that,” she said, reflecting a widespread concern that authorities may use the disaster to expedite demolitions of informal settlements.

Such concerns are not unfounded. Last year, France launched Operation Wuambushu, a controversial campaign to demolish shantytowns and deport migrants who entered illegally. Macron hinted that similar policies could resume but stressed reconstruction efforts would take precedence.

The storm has left many residents struggling to meet basic needs.

A hotspot for migrants

“I can’t take it anymore. Just to have water is complicated,” said Fatima, a 46-year-old mother of five whose family has been without clean water since the storm ravaged Mayotte last weekend. Fatima, who only gave her first name because her family is known locally, also said she felt the island could not support the current population, let alone more.

Most migrants have family links in Mayotte and speak the same language. They seek a better life on the island rather than aiming to reach the European continent.

Mayotte’s geopolitical position has long made it a hotspot for migration. While the island voted to remain French in referendums held in 1974 and 1976, neighboring Comoros has never recognized its sovereignty and continues to claim the archipelago as its own. This unresolved dispute has fueled waves of migration, with thousands risking perilous sea crossings each year.

Outgoing French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau recently reignited the debate, describing the situation in Mayotte as a “war,” earlier this week. Retailleau proposed stricter measures, including using drones and naval patrols to block further arrivals. “We must be much tougher on the Comoros,” he said, accusing the neighboring government of allowing migrants to leave its shores unchecked.

Retailleau’s calls to “change the rules” include proposals to restrict birthright citizenship in Mayotte, a policy already tightened in 2018 to require proof that at least one parent had been a legal resident for more than three months. Critics argue that these measures only deepen Mayotte’s divisions without addressing the root causes of migration.

A 2023 parliamentary report cited in French media warned that the island was a “ticking time bomb,” while suggesting redistributing part of Mayotte’s migrant population to mainland France — a proposal unlikely to gain widespread support.

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Adamson reported from Paris

SAM MEDNICK

Mednick is the West and Central Africa reporter for the Associated Press. She focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises and human rights abuses.