About ten days after a devastating cyclone pounded the islands, French officials increased the number of fatalities in Mayotte from 35 to 39.
When Storm Chido struck the islands, a French overseas territory off the coast of East Africa, authorities have stated that thousands of people may have perished. According to them, the fact that many of the deceased may have been undocumented migrants and that people bury their loved ones quickly in accordance with religious custom may make it difficult to count the dead.
Residents of Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, sandwiched between Madagascar and Mozambique, are incensed at the slow pace of aid and the delays in the arrival of clean water, which was a flashpoint even before the disaster.
While other locals heckled President Emmanuel Macron during his visit last week, Mohamed Abdou, a physician in Pamandzi, referred to France’s national day of mourning as a “political stunt” in light of reports of historic neglect regarding infrastructure, electricity, and aid distribution.
When the storm struck mainland Africa, Mozambique reported 94 fatalities, while neighboring Malawi reported 13.
