On this page 6 sections
A tense start
Less than a month after the proclamation, on 3 August 1975, Ahmed Abdallah was overthrown by Ali Soilih and Saïd Mohamed Jaffar, with the help of the French mercenary Bob Denard. On 12 November 1975, the Comoros were admitted to the UN with their four islands.
Ali Soilih's revolution (1975–1978)
Having become head of state in January 1976, Ali Soilih launched a radical revolution: he wanted to modernise the country and reduce the weight of the notables; he attacked the grand marriage and certain customs, mobilised young people and reorganised the administration as close as possible to the villages.
His supporters see it as a sincere attempt to free society; his opponents denounce its authoritarianism, militia violence and economic disorganisation. He was overthrown on 13 May 1978 by Bob Denard's mercenaries and killed a few days later.
The Abdallah years (1978–1989)
Back in power, Ahmed Abdallah had the constitution of the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros adopted in 1978. The regime became a one-party state, while the presidential guard commanded by Bob Denard weighed heavily on political life. On 26 November 1989, Ahmed Abdallah was assassinated in his office.
Democratisation and crises (1990–1999)
- 1990: Saïd Mohamed Djohar was elected president in a disputed election.
- 28 September 1995: Bob Denard overthrew him; the French army intervened in early October (Operation Azalée) and arrested the mercenary.
- 1996: Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim was elected; he died in office in 1998.
- August 1997: Anjouan, then Mohéli, proclaimed their secession; an attempted landing on Anjouan failed.
- 30 April 1999: coup d'état by Colonel Azali Assoumani.
The Union of the Comoros
The Fomboni agreement, signed on 17 February 2001, ended the separatist crisis. The constitution adopted by referendum on 23 December 2001 created the Union of the Comoros: each island has its own president and broad autonomy, and the presidency of the Union rotates between the islands.
Ahmed Abdallah Sambi (2006–2011) and then Ikililou Dhoinine (2011–2016) followed one another. In 2007–2008, Colonel Mohamed Bacar refused to give up the presidency of Anjouan; on 25 March 2008, a Comorian landing backed by the African Union restored the authority of the Union.
Since 2016
Elected in 2016, Azali Assoumani had a reform approved by referendum on 30 July 2018 that changed the rotating presidency and allowed two consecutive terms. He was re-elected in 2019 and again in January 2024, in elections disputed by the opposition, which alleged fraud, and followed by demonstrations in Moroni. In 2023, he chaired the African Union.
Beyond politics, Comorian society lives to the rhythm of its diaspora, which is large in France, especially in Marseille, and of the family ties that bind the four islands together.
Main references
- Outside view Iain Walker, Islands in a Cosmopolitan Sea: A History of the Comoros, 2019. Hurst (London); Oxford University Press (New York).
- Outside view Malyn Newitt, The Comoro Islands: Struggle against Dependency in the Indian Ocean, 1984. Westview Press.
- Outside view République française, Loi n° 75-560 du 3 juillet 1975 relative à l'indépendance du territoire des Comores, 1975. Journal officiel (French official gazette).
- Outside view Assemblée générale des Nations unies, Résolution 31/4 : Question de l'île comorienne de Mayotte, 1976. 21 October 1976.
