**Mayotte Faces Renewed Weather Catastrophe Amidst Recovery from Cyclone Chido**

**The French territory struggles with recovery efforts after Cyclone Chido, as another storm threatens the archipelago, forcing evacuations and emphasizing ongoing vulnerabilities.**

The French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has been plunged into crisis once again as heavy rains triggered floods and mudslides, only a month after the devastation caused by Cyclone Chido. The region has raised its alert level to the highest status as storm Dikeledi swept past on Sunday morning, prompting officials to warn residents about the potential for violent winds, flash floods, and dangerous landslides.

Local footage circulating on social media depicts downed power lines and extensive flooding in various regions, like the southern village of Mbouini, which had miraculously escaped the previous cyclone's wrath. Dikeledi made landfall in northern Madagascar on Saturday and has already claimed three lives as it moved perilously close to Mayotte, situated approximately 100 kilometers south of the storm's path.

François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, reported to French news outlet BFMTV that the adverse weather was beginning to escalate, leading to significant mudslides and initial flooding across the archipelago. In anticipation of worsening conditions, local authorities are maintaining a red alert status, predicting that heavy precipitation will persist beyond the storm's departure.

Over 14,500 residents have been forced to seek refuge in emergency shelters, as official sources express grave concern for the welfare of the population. As of Sunday afternoon, monitors from Météo-France indicated that Dikeledi was moving away from Mayotte but could intensify to tropical cyclone status as it nears Mozambique's coast.

While current forecasts predict that Mozambique may not bear the brunt of Dikeledi, the Nampula region is still expected to face unfavorable weather conditions. This comes on the heels of recovery efforts in Mozambique following Cyclone Chido, which resulted in severe destruction and a toll of approximately 120 fatalities.

Mayotte, often categorized as one of France's poorest territories, grapples with a multitude of challenges, including a significant population of undocumented migrants—estimates suggest between 100,000 and 200,000 in addition to the official count of 320,000 residents.

The recent history of severe cyclones in the region has highlighted the precarious living conditions of many residents, particularly in makeshift accommodations that were easily demolished by Cyclone Chido, which reached wind speeds of 260 km/h (160 mph) in December, marking it as the worst storm to strike Mayotte in nearly a century. Although earlier reports indicated a death toll in the hundreds, official assessments later revised the number to 39 fatalities.