Comoros and Comorian News

The Comoros officially the Union of the Comoros is an Archipelago Island Nation in the Indian Ocean   located off the eastern coast of Africa. Comoros is the third-smallest African nation1,862 km² (719 sq miles) by area.
 The country officially consists of the four major islands in the volvanic Comoros archipelago northwesternmost Grande Comore or Ngazidja,Moheli or Mwali,Anjouan or Nzwani and southeasternmost Mayotte or Maore, as well as many smaller islands.
The country has had a history marked by numerous coups d'etat since independence on July 06,1975

Capital                             Moroni
Currency                         Comorian Franc
Official Language             Comorian;Arabic and French
Population                       0.8 Million(2010 Estimate)

History
France first established Colonial  Rule in the Comoros in 1841. The first French colonists landed in Mayotte, and Andrian Tsouli, the Malagasy King of Mayotte, signed the Treaty of April 1841, which ceded the island to the French authorities.In 1886, Mohéli was placed under French protection by its Queen Salima Machimba. That same year, after consolidating his authority over all of Grande Comore, Sultan Said Ali agreed to French protection of his island, though he retained sovereignty until 1909. Also in 1909, Sultan Said Muhamed of Anjouan abdicated in favor of French rule.
 The Comoross) was officially made a French colony in 1912, and the islands were placed under the administration of the French colonial governor general of Madagascar in 1914.
The Comoros served as a way station for merchants sailing to the Far East and India until the opening of the Suez Canal.
 Agreement was reached with France in 1973 for Comoros to become independent in 1978. The deputies of Mayotte abstained. Referendums were held on all four of the islands. Three voted for independence by large margins, while Mayotte voted against, and remains under French administration.
On July 06,1975, however, the Comorian parliament passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence. Ahmed Abdallah proclaimed the independence of the Comorian State and became its 1st President.

On Aug 03, 1975, Mercenary Bob Denard with clandestine support from Jacues Foccart and the French Govt. removed President Ahmed Abdallah  from office in an armed coup and replaced him with United National Front of the Comoros (UNF) member Prince Said Mohammed Jaffar

In January 1976, Jaffar was ousted in favor of his Minister of Defense Ali Soilih

On May 13,1978, Bob Denard returned to overthrow President Soilih and reinstate Ahmed Abdallah with the support of the French, Rhodesian and South African governments. During Soilih's brief rule, he faced seven additional coup attempts until he was finally forced from office and killed.
 Ahmed Abdallah's Presidency was marked by authoritarian rule and increased adherence to traditional Islam and the country was renamed the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros
 Ahmed Abdallah continued as President until 1989 when, fearing a probable coup d'etat he signed a decree ordering the Presidential Guard, led by Bob Denard to disarm the armed forces. Shortly after the signing of the decree, Abdallah was allegedly shot dead in his office by a disgruntled military officer, though later sources claim an antitank missile was launched into his bedroom and killed him. Although Denard was also injured, it is suspected that Abdallah's killer was a soldier under his command.
 Bob Denard was evacuated to South Africa by French paratroopers and Said Mohamed Djohar, Soilih's older half-brother, then became President, and served until September 1995.

Bob Denard returned and attempted another coup but France intervened with paratroopers and forced Bob Denard to surrender and removed Said Mohamed Djohar to Reunion.
Paris-backed Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim  became President by election in 1996 and was in office until his death in November 1998.

He was succeeded by Interim President Tadjidine Ben SaidMassounde.

 In April 1999, Colonel Azali Assoumani, Army Chief of Staff, seized power in a bloodless coup, overthrowing the Interim President Massounde.

In 2002,Azali stepped down to run in the democratic election of the President of the Comoros, which he won.
The elections in 2006 were won by Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi , a Sunni Muslim cleric nicknamed the "Ayatollah" for his time spent studying Islam in Iran. Azali honored the election results, thus allowing the first peaceful and democratic exchange of power for the archipelago.

In the 2010 elections  former Vice-President Ikililou Dhoinine elected as President on May 26, 2011. A member of the ruling party,Ikililou Dhoinine was supported in the election by the incumbent President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi.

Since independence from France in 1975, the Comoros experienced more than 20 coups or attempted coups


Government
Comoros is a Federal Presidential Republic where the President is both Head of State and Head of Govt. and of a multi-party system.The federal presidency is rotated between the islands' presidents.
Executive Power is vested in the Govt.

Assembly of the Union of Comoros

Federal Legislative Power is vested in both the Govt and Parliament.The Assembly of the Union has 33 seats, 18 elected in single seat constituencies and 15 representatives of the Regional Assemblies.