Traditional songs and dances welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron when he arrived this week on the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte — unlike his last visit, when he was greeted by furious, desperate residents reeling from a devastating cyclone.
But while daily life is improving, the impact of Cyclone Chido in December still dominated Macron’s latest trip to this archipelago near Madagascar, the poorest corner of France. Mayotte's worst cyclone in a century killed dozens and left more than 2,000 injured, flattened homes and cut off power, communications and water supplies.
After a contentious visit in December, Macron was careful as he toured Mayotte on Monday. He brought new promises for reconstruction aid for the territory's 320,000 residents, and for a crackdown on illegal immigration. French authorities estimate another 100,000 migrants live in Mayotte, many in tin-roof shantytowns easily flatted by storms.
Electricity and telephone service have now been restored, and the drinking water network is functioning again — though with intermittent outages because of chronic production shortages that often left Mayotte thirsty even before the cyclone.
“Mayotte isn’t down, but it isn’t up yet,” summarizes Estelle Youssouffa, a lawmaker representing Mayotte in France's National Assembly.
Residents of the village of Tsingoni — known for a centuries-old mosque considered the oldest operating in France — still come to their mayor for reconstruction help. Some homes still need roofs replaced, or to be entirely rebuilt.
When the president visited Tsingoni, Mayor Issilamou Hamada said he was afraid residents’ emotions would “overflow.”
During Macron's discussions with the local population, some told him that his earlier promises were still not being fulfilled.
“We feel alone. I lost everything, my nursing practice was in my house. The roof is gone, I no longer have a computer. I’ve been forced to work on my phone ever since,” said Siti Madi, who uses a temporary office in another village.
Residents said banks aren’t yet granting zero-interest loans that were promised for reconstruction. Authorities warn of health risks because waste caused by the cyclone hasn’t all been cleaned up. The department is also experiencing its first cases of chikungunya, a disease transmitted by mosquito bites.
Macron tried to reassure everyone.
“Is everything settled? No, we are in a stabilization phase. There are legitimate concerns, there are many things that still need to be improved. And we are in the process of addressing them,” he said.
The government presented two bills right after his visit that include tax breaks for businesses and the establishment of a structure dedicated to reconstruction, like the one Macron created for rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Estimating the cost of reconstruction at 3.2 billion euros ($3.6 billion), Macron acknowledged that the bills "will not be enough to solve all of Mayotte’s problems."
Mayotte is accustomed to struggles, and big promises from faraway Paris.
Mayotte’s regional council president Ben Issa Ousseni believes the proposed legislation "does not yet meet the aspirations of the Mahoran people.” He said he would continue to fight for more, including a long-promised runway extension at the airport of Pamandzi aimed at boosting tourism and economic development.
Macron said he was ready to discuss inequalities between Mayotte and the rest of France. Its minimum wage and pensions are lower than elsewhere, while the cost of living can be higher than in mainland France because of its dependence on imported goods and services.
Macron also reinforced promises for a plan to stem illegal immigration to Mayotte, called ″Oura wa chaba″ or Iron Wall in the Mahorais language, to more quickly prevent the arrival of migrants from the Comoros Islands, Madagascar and Tanzania fleeing poverty or conflict zones elsewhere in Africa.
Macron maintained support for a rule restricting foreigners who arrive in Mayotte from traveling elsewhere in France, citing Mayotte’s “deeply abnormal migration situation.”
The president traveled next to the French territory of Reunion, where he announced new tax breaks to boost the local economy.
Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
Follow more AP coverage of Mayotte at https://apnews.com/hub/mayotte
A group of singers and dancers perform after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit Monday, April 21, 2025 in Tsingoni , Mayotte island, in the Indian Ocean French territory of Mayotte. (AP Photo/Alexis Duclos)
Angry residents argue after French President Emmanuel Macron' s visit Monday, April 21, 2025 in Mamoudzou, in the Indian Ocean French territory of Mayotte. (AP Photo/Alexis Duclos)
Debris caused by the Dec.2024 Chido cyclone are seen Sunday, April 20, 2025 on the eve of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit in Mamoudzou, in the Indian Ocean French territory of Mayotte. (AP Photo/Alexis Duclos)
NEW YORK (AP) — R&B singer Cassie delved further into text messages with former boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs during her cross-examination Friday in the music mogul’s sex trafficking trial, telling him “I’m not a rag doll. I’m somebody’s child” after he beat her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
However, as they tried to recover from the episode, she and Combs were expressing love for each other just days later, with Cassie writing in one text: “We need a different vibe from Friday.”
She and one of Combs’ defense attorneys read the couple’s messages aloud during two days of cross-examination in a Manhattan courtroom, which ended Friday afternoon. The defense also tried to discredit Cassie’s testimony that Combs raped her in 2018 after she ended their nearly 11-year relationship.
In the “rag doll” text, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, told Combs he was out of control from drugs and alcohol that day. After hotel security video of the assault was released last year, Combs apologized and said he was “disgusted” by his actions.
Federal prosecutors allege Combs exploited his status as a music executive and businessman to force women into drug-fueled encounters with male sex workers, called “freak-offs,” that he watched and directed. Cassie is one of several accusers expected to testify.
However, Combs’ lawyers want the jury to see Cassie as a willing and eager participant in his sexual lifestyle. He has pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
His defense says that, although he could be violent, nothing he did amounted to a criminal enterprise. And Combs insists all the sex at the freak-offs was consensual.
Cassie, the prosecution’s star witness, testified she was ashamed and loathed taking part in “hundreds” of the freak-offs, which could go on for days. But she said she felt compelled because Combs threatened her with violence, and was physically abusive “a lot” during the encounters. He also threatened to publicly release sex videos of her if she made him angry, she said.
Combs, 55, has been jailed since September. He faces at least 15 years in prison if convicted.
Cassie, who is pregnant with her third child and nearing her due date, spent four days on the witness stand.
When Judge Arun Subramanian told her she could leave, saying, “You’ve been here a long time,” Cassie glanced once toward the jury but never looked in Combs' direction as she walked out of the courtroom for the final time.
Throughout Friday’s testimony, Combs kept lowering his head to write a steady stream of messages on small sheets of paper that he passed to his defense attorneys.
Dawn Richard is a singer who appeared on Combs’ reality show “Making the Band,” which launched her group act Danity Kane. She testified Friday that she witnessed Combs physically attack Cassie on multiple occasions.
Richard said she and another woman saw Combs hit Cassie “on the head and beat her on the ground” while at his home studio in 2009. He brought them back the next day, giving Richard flowers and putting a spin on what happened.
“He said that what we saw was passion and what lovers in relationships do,” she testified. But he also locked them in his recording studio and allegedly threatened them to stay silent or else, she said.
Richard sued Combs last year, accusing him of physical abuse, groping and psychological abuse during the years they worked together.
During cross-examination on Thursday and Friday, the defense had Cassie read texts and emails that showed her apparent willingness to participate in the sexual encounters Combs orchestrated.
In a 2012 exchange, Combs told Cassie he wanted to “FO one last time tonight,” using initials for freak-off. Cassie replied, “What?” Combs said, “You can’t read?” Then Cassie replied, “I don’t want to freak off for the last time. I want it to be the first time for the rest of our lives."
Estevao ended her questioning there, but prosecutor Emily Johnson had Cassie read more messages for context.
“I want to see you, but I’m emotional right now,” Cassie wrote. “I don’t want to do one last time. I’d rather not do it at all.”
Cassie testified she was initially open to the encounters because she wanted to make him happy and spend time with him, but grew weary as the years went on.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has.
Cassie filed a lawsuit in 2023 accusing Combs of physical and sexual abuse, but they settled within hours for $20 million — an amount she disclosed publicly for the first time this week. Dozens of other women have since made similar legal claims.
Cassie’s testimony ended with another bombshell disclosure: She said she recently reached an estimated $10 million settlement with Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles, where she was assaulted. She didn’t disclose the nature of her claim.
Estevao also raised questions on Friday about Cassie's rape claim against Combs, noting that Cassie gave differing descriptions of his demeanor and the timing of the alleged assault in interviews with investigators and in her trial testimony.
Cassie contends the rape happened at her Los Angeles home after she and Combs had dinner in Malibu, California, to discuss their breakup, either in August or September 2018.
While Cassie testified this week that Combs was “really nice” and “playful” at the dinner, Estevao pointed out that Cassie told investigators in 2023 that Combs had been “acting very strangely” that night. Cassie clarified, “Nice, but strangely."
Cassie also testified this week that Combs, during the dinner, was trying to get her to go to the Burning Man festival in Nevada, but previously told investigators that the dinner and rape happened after Combs returned from Burning Man.
Cassie acknowledged she stayed in touch with Combs and had consensual sex with him a few weeks after she says he raped her. She also exchanged warm messages with Combs after they broke up, even after she marrying Alex Fine in 2019.
Cassie released a statement saying she hoped her testimony helps others “heal from the abuse and fear.”
“For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember," she said. “And the more I can remember, the more I will never forget.”
Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
Alex Fine, husband of Cassie Ventura, arrives at Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
FILE - Dawn Richard arrives at the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Sean "Diddy" Combs, left, and Cassie Ventura attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination exhibition, May 7, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP File)
Cassie Ventura wipes tears from her eye while testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
FILE - Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean "Diddy" Combs appear at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "China: Through the Looking Glass" in New York on May 4, 2015. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story" at the Writers Guild Theater, June 21, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP File)
Sean Diddy'Combs, far left, and attorney Marc Agnifilo, right, sit at the defense table during witness testimony in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Cassie Ventura takes an oath before testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
