Comoros declares week of national mourning in wake of Cyclone Chido

The Comoros, on Monday, December 16, declared a national week of mourning after Cyclone Chido devastated the neighbouring French overseas department of Mayotte, where the authorities fear “several hundred” deaths, especially in shantytowns populated by many Comoran nationals.

President Azali Assoumani said the mourning period would last until Sunday on the Indian Ocean islands, where a number of people have lost their lives and infrastructure has suffered “enormous” damage.

Mayotte, a sister island in the archipelago which chose to remain French in two referendums, held in 1974 and 1976 when Comoros declared independence, was hit by winds of more than 220 kilometres (137 miles) per hour on Saturday.

Just 70 kilometres (43 miles) separate the two territories. Half of Mayotte’s official population of 320,000 people hails from overseas, according to French government statistics in 2017. Of these, 95% were Comoran. Many people are known to travel to Mayotte clandestinely using canoes.

Cyclone Chido was the worst to hit Mayotte in 90 years. Classified as a category four storm – the second highest on a five-point scale – it crossed the small archipelago, where about one-third of the population live in makeshift housing.