France’s Macron extends visit to cyclone-hit Mayotte after locals vent anger

French President Emmanuel Macron extended his visit to cyclone-devastated Mayotte on Friday after angry residents vented exasperation and despair over the scale of the disaster.

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Locals jeered and shouted their grievances Thursday during Macron’s visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago, five days after Cyclone Chido left a trail of destruction in its wake.

“I decided to sleep here because I considered that given what the population is going through,” leaving the same day could have “installed the idea that we come, we look, we leave,” he told reporters late Thursday.

“It is a mark of respect, of consideration.”

Damage in the Kaweni slum on the outskirts of Mamoudzou, Mayotte. Photo: AFP
Damage in the Kaweni slum on the outskirts of Mamoudzou, Mayotte. Photo: AFP

Emergency teams are still working at full pace, searching for survivors and supplying desperately-needed aid.

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