As soon as he arrived in Mayotte, Emmanuel Macron was overwhelmed by the grief, despair and anger of the people of the French territory in the Indian Ocean. On Thursday, December 19, the presidential A330, packed with some 20 care workers, rescuers and logisticians, and loaded with 3 to 4 metric tons of water and medicine, touched down on the tarmac at Mamoudzou airport. Macron was due to visit the island devastated by cyclone Chido for a few hours.

Time was of the essence. The president was expected in Djibouti the following evening, to share Christmas dinner with the French troops based there. However, before setting foot on Mayotte soil, Macron asked his advisers: "Maybe I should stay a little longer." He no doubt remembers George Bush's political blunder in August 2005, after Hurricane Katrina. The American president merely flew over New Orleans, Louisiana, contemplating the extent of the damage from the window of his aircraft, Air Force One; a "tourist," mocked the American press.

Macron felt that a lightning visit would be a blunder in view of the tragedy endured by Mayotte. He needed to spend at least one night on the island of Petite-Terre, to "share a little of what the population is going through," as he explained to journalists. It's a "mark of respect and consideration." He also wanted to have time to get to the hard-to-reach villages. "Leaving the same day would have installed the idea that you come, you look, you go," he said.

You have 78.88% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.