The curfew in Mayotte has been lifted ahead of the incremental reopening of schools next week, as recovery efforts continue.
The curfew introduced in mid-December in the Mayotte archipelago devastated by cyclone Chido was lifted on Saturday, according to police authorities.
In a statement published by Mayotte's prefecture on social media: "From Saturday 25 January 2025, the curfew is lifted" in the Indian Ocean territory.
"As the cyclone protection phase is still underway, everyone is asked to exercise the utmost caution when travelling to allow the internal security forces, emergency services and the various services still involved in crisis management and network restoration to take action," the statement added.
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A curfew from 10pm to 4am was introduced on 17 December in a bid to prevent looting in the wake of the cyclone.
Chido – the most devastating cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years – killed at least 39 people on 14 December and injured more than 5,600.
The lifting of the curfew comes just two days before the start of the new school year for Mayotte's 117,000 pupils, who are returning to classes from Monday under conditions that some teachers and parents have criticised.
The start of the new school year – initially scheduled for 13 January – was first postponed to 20 and then to 27 January to deal with the damage caused by the cyclone.
Last Monday, it was the teachers who went back to school, only to discover that some schools had been destroyed and were unfit for purpose.
