Home

Comoros island governor arrested after rebellion

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The governor of the Comoros island of Anjouan has been arrested for alleged involvement in last week’s anti-government uprising when troops clashed with armed rebels for several days, sources said Friday.

Abdou Salami Abdou faces charges of “undermining national unity, participation in an insurrection movement, complicity in murder and rebellion,” according to court papers.

At least three people were killed in a week of violence as troops fought with rebels on Anjouan, an opposition stronghold in the Comoros, an Indian Ocean archipelago.

Tensions have mounted in recent months as President Azali Assoumani bids to extend term limits through constitutional changes that could see him rule for 11 more years. Former president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi who leads Juwa, the main opposition party, is from Anjouan. He has been under house arrest since May.

The Comoros islands, Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli have endured years of grinding poverty and political turmoil, including about 20 coups or attempted coups, since independence from France in 1975.

Author

MOST READ