Where have the approximately 100 to 110,000 people gone, out of the 320,000 inhabitants of Mayotte, who until now lived in tin huts? This is one of the main questions being asked today on the island devastated by Chido. Because, according to INSEE, nearly four out of ten buildings are considered to be “fragile”.
“Roughly speaking, these are dwellings built with wooden posts, to which facades and a sheet metal roof are nailed, pierced by doors and windows”explains Mégane Aussedat, doctoral student in sociology at the University of Rouen, who has worked on precarious housing in Mayotte. “The level of comfort can vary, with some homes having concrete or tiled floors, but only 44% are connected to water. Overall, these homes are often built on hills and are very vulnerable to climatic hazards. A few years ago, landslides took away homes and families. »
“And particularly violent cyclone fell on an extremely deprived territory »summarizes François Hermet, lecturer in economic sciences at the University of Reunion, who recalls that, “with 77% of the population living below the poverty line, Mayotte is considered not only the poorest region in France but also in the European Union.”
This situation has a history. “We must remember that at the end of the 1960s, life expectancy there was 44 years, as was the case in the three other islands of the Comoros archipelago »recalls Rémi Carayol, author of the book Mayotte, colony department (La Fabrique Éd., September 2024). But, during the self-determination referendum of 1974, unlike the three other islands, Mayotte voted for attachment to France. “It was only in the mid-1990s that continues Rémi Carayol, with the process which will lead to departmentalization in 2011, France begins to invest in the island. »
With a major effect: the standard of living increases considerably. Today, “if on the scale of France, Mayotte is a very poor territory, its GDP is 7 to 10 times greater than in the neighboring islandscontinues François Hermet. Therefore, as everywhere in the world, this differential leads to migrations. Between the period 2007-2012 and 2012-2017, immigration, mainly from the Comoroswas multiplied by ten. With one important characteristic: these immigrants are often women with children. However, the fertility of Comorian women is almost twice as high as that of Mahorese women. In recent years, more than 10,000 children have been born each year in Mayotte. »
Half of the population is under 18 years old
Consequence: the population, which has almost doubled since the beginning of the 2000s, has exploded. Therefore, “even if it invests, the State never manages to satisfy the needs of the population in terms of infrastructure, health or education », notes Rémi Carayol. “More than half of the population is under 18 and a third under 10continues François Hermet. We would have to build a class every day to absorb the needs! »
The island, where classes are most often only held for half a day, is therefore struggling to educate its young people sufficiently to enable them to pursue higher education. It lacks doctors, teachers, nurses, engineers, managers… who are brought at great expense from mainland France, where they leave shortly after. Mayotte also only manages to ensure access to drinking water at the cost of numerous cuts.
Now, in Mayotte, 48% of the population is foreign, a good part of which is undocumented. Deprived of a residence permit, this population cannot access social benefits, work or housing. “These are extremely poor people, who have no other choice but to live in tin houses where they are without protection”concludes François Hermet.