While Mayotte was heavily impacted by Cyclone Chido, it was French
colonialism that took charge of the situation through repression andpopulation control rather than through the deployment of immediate aid
and the implementation of adaptability policies. Extreme phenomena are
accentuated by climate change and neoliberal management works hand in
hand with racism to abandon the Comorians. ---- The catastrophe caused
by the passage of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte once again reveals the
colonial dynamics in the management of this territory by the French
State. This episode, marked by winds of rare violence (226 km/h
measured) and torrential rains, left behind destroyed homes, damaged
infrastructure and a population left to fend for itself, illustrating
the extent to which the means put in place to anticipate and react to
this type of crisis are insufficient.
Crisis management tinged with colonialism
The reaction of the French State to Cyclone Chido perpetuates the
marginalization of the Mahorais as well as the deployment of colonial
policies and police violence.
Despite multiple warnings issued for years on the precariousness of the
island and the danger faced by the majority of the population in the
event of a cyclone, the French State has remained passive. It has even
remained deaf to weather forecasts and no preparation has been put in
place to deal with the cyclone. Furthermore, once the storm had passed,
emergency aid was lacking, the priority seemed to be more oriented
towards maintaining order than towards assisting the population. This is
illustrated both by the curfew introduced from Tuesday, December 17, and
by the comments of Bruno Retailleau, the resigned Minister of the
Interior, placing the responsibility on immigration.
But this is not surprising after Operation Wuambushu in April 2023,
which planned 24,000 expulsions: Chido seems to be a golden opportunity
for the French state to continue its momentum.
An environmental crisis: a consequence of capitalism
It is important to remember that Mayotte was separated from the other
Comorian islands. This context has meant that several thousand Comorians
find themselves in the status of "undocumented immigrants" in Mayotte,
living below the poverty line in shanty towns. And it is precisely this
repressed and oppressed population that was hit the hardest and that
mostly perished during the passage of the cyclone.
Cyclone Chido, a direct consequence of the rise in ocean temperatures
linked to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, illustrates how the
global environmental crisis disproportionately affects the poorest
people. This situation should be a warning signal, not only to review
the management of natural risks, but also to accelerate the fight
against environmental crises. All the more so since Cyclone Chido is not
an isolated episode: we are heading towards a world where these
disasters will be increasingly intense and frequent.
This scenario is reminiscent of Hurricane Katarina, which ravaged New
Orleans in 2005, destroying the most precarious neighborhoods and
causing nearly 2,000 deaths. In response to this catastrophe and in the
face of the failures of the State, the bourgeois class has privatized
education and health while trampling on labor law. Let us remain on our
guard against any risk of racist and liberal drift, masked under a
misleading discourse of solidarity.
Nada and Léo (UCL Grenoble)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Cyclone-Chido-Mayotte-ravagee-par-la-tempete-coloniale
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