Macron vows to rebuild Mayotte after cyclone devastation

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the overseas territory of Mayotte, which was devastated by Cyclone Chido, where he pledged to help the struggling population rebuild.

His office said he had extended his trip to stay the night on Thursday, which was not initially scheduled, after facing criticism from locals and aid workers.

Macron toured the affected areas on a helicopter and then met with patients and staff at a hospital.

Cyclone Chido swept across the small group of islands in the Indian Ocean, with strong winds reaching 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour).

The winds were particularly damaging in the shantytown of Kaweni on the outskirts of the capital Mamoudzou, where a large portion of hillside homes was reduced to scraps of metal, plastic, bedding and clothing, and pieces of timber marking the frame where homes once stood.

French authorities said that that least 31 people have died and more than 2,000 people were injured.

Cyclone Chido also reached Mozambique on the African mainland over the weekend. Mozambique's National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management on Thursday updated its estimated death toll to 73, from 45 the previous day.

Macron said on the social media platform X that France would observe a day of national mourning on Monday for Mayotte, adding that "we all share in the pain of the Mahorais."

Angry residents confront Macron

But during the visit, Macron was met with indignation and frustration among the islanders.

"Mayotte is demolished," Assane Haloi, a security agent, told Macron after he stepped off the plane.

"We are without water, without electricity, there is nowhere to go because everything is demolished," she said. "We can't even shelter, we are all wet with our children covering ourselves with whatever we have so that we can sleep."

Angry residents shouted out their grievances at Macron Thursday, urging him to help with critical issues plaguing Mayotte in Chido's aftermath.

"Mister President, nobody feels safe here," one woman told Macron during his visit to the Mamoudzou hospital centre. "People are fighting over water," she added.

Residents told Macron about looting, saying thieves could easily enter houses whose roofs were blown off, despite the overnight curfew.

jcg/msh (dpa, Reuters)