Seven months after cyclone Chido struck Mayotte, France’s poorest department, parliament has passed a sweeping plan to help rebuild the island, address social divisions and tighten migration rules.
The plan, which was approved by the Senate on Thursday, promises €4 billion in public investment over six years. It also aims to increase social benefits in Mayotte to match mainland France by 2031.
Currently 77 percent of people in Mayotte live below the national poverty line and payments such as the minimum income benefit RSA remain half as high as in the rest of France.
Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte on 14 December, 2024, damaging homes and roads.
The Mayotte Departmental Council said it remains committed to supporting the local economy. "Our priority was to act quickly and with ambition. This interest-free loan is not only immediate help for rebuilding, but a real boost for the local economy,” Bibi Chanfi, vice president in charge of economic development, told local paper Le Journal de Mayotte.
The council has given €4 million to Initiative Mayotte, a non-profit organisation that supports local businesses with zero-interest loans, to help firms hit by the storm. Another €35 million has been added to the 2025 budget for new port and urban projects.
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Tighter immigration rules
The new law also targets what authorities have deemed two major problems: illegal immigration and informal housing.
Overseas Territories Minister Manuel Valls said the bill shows an unprecedented political ambition to make good on the Republic’s promise to Mayotte.
Nearly half the island’s population is foreign-born. The new law will make it harder to obtain residence permits and gives officials more power to clear illegal settlements.
One rule allows authorities to skip the usual obligation to offer new housing when tearing down shanty towns. Around one third of homes on the island are informal.
During debates, Valls said Mayotte risked being rebuilt on “sand” if these issues were not tackled.
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Political divisions
The plan received backing from the government’s coalition and the far-right National Rally, which called it “a political victory”. Some on the left voted against it or abstained, saying it puts too much focus on immigration.
“In Mayotte, the normal law no longer applies. It has become a security lab for laws we would never dare use elsewhere in France,” Green Party senator Antoinette Guhl said.
Mayotte MP Anchya Bamana said the island still struggles with basic needs. She pointed to longterm water cuts. “How can we justify one billion to swim in the Seine? But nothing to respond to the urgent need for drinking water access for Mayotte residents,” she asked.
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Key changes
The law will also scrap the special visa that prevents Mayotte residents from travelling freely to mainland France by 2030 – a change many locals see as overdue.
The plan also includes a full population count, to take place this year. Local leaders say Mayotte’s true population is often undercounted, leaving schools and hospitals overstretched.
One plan to make it easier for the government to take land for new projects was dropped after strong local protests.
Despite the government describing the plan as “unprecedented”, “massive” and “historic”, some MPs argue that it overlooks challenges such as water supply, healthcare and the green transition.
The Mayotte plan was the last bill passed before parliament breaks for the summer.
