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Concerns grow over Comoros president’s potentially undemocratic actions

Concerns grow over Comoros president’s potentially undemocratic actions

CONCERNS are growing in Africa and internationally over potentially undemocratic actions by the President of Comoros, Azali Assoumani. According to Reuters, President Assoumani granted his son, Nour El Fath extensive new powers. A presidential decree published on August 7 gives El Fath the authority to intervene at all stages of government decision-making and evaluate ministers. This follows El Fath's appointment as secretary general of the government on July 1, 2024. Reuters reports that Assoumani, 65, was re-elected in January 2024 amid allegations of voter fraud. His opponents accuse him of preparing his 40-year-old son to succeed him when his term…
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Two women in Comoros detained on gay sex charges after marriage bid

Two women in Comoros detained on gay sex charges after marriage bid

POLICE in Comoros detained two women on charges of engaging in same-sex sexual activity after they asked an Islamic preacher to marry them, a public prosecutor said. Gay sex is illegal in Comoros, a Muslim-majority archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean which has a population of 870,000. Public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid said the women were being held in pre-trial detention at a prison in the capital, Moroni, after a court appearance in which they were charged with having "unnatural sex". "They are accused of acts that are contrary to good morals and against nature," Djounaid said. If convicted, the…
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Comoros President sworn in for fourth term after disputed poll

Comoros President sworn in for fourth term after disputed poll

COMOROS President Azali Assoumani pledged to work for peace and rapidly grow the economy as he was sworn in for his fourth term in office, following a tense January election which his opponents claim was tainted by voter fraud. One person was killed and at least 25 injured in violent protests that erupted in the country, a group of three islands off the coast of Mozambique, after the election body declared him re-elected to another five-year term with 63% of the vote. Comoros, with a population of about 800,000, has experienced around 20 coups or attempted coups since winning independence…
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Dozens escape from jail in Comoros capital

Dozens escape from jail in Comoros capital

DOZENS of prisoners escaped from a prison in the Comoros capital Moroni by walking out of the main gate, the public prosecutor and government said. The escape of 38 inmates from Moroni Prison, the Indian Ocean island archipelago's largest penitentiary, was caused by the negligence of security guards, public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid told Reuters in a phone message. "The prisoners took the opportunity to escape through the normal gate," Djounaid said, adding that authorities had started an investigation into what happened. Government spokesperson Houmed Msaidie said the escape appeared to have been pre-planned.
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Comoros holds presidential election, opposition say vote had irregularities

Comoros holds presidential election, opposition say vote had irregularities

VOTING took place in Comoros in an election widely expected to hand a fourth five-year term to President Azali Assoumani, while his five opponents said the vote was tainted by accusations of pre-marked ballots in favour of the incumbent. The polls opened across the Indian Ocean archipelago at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) for the 338,940 registered voters out of its 800,000 population. Voting ended at 6 p.m. Comoros has experienced around 20 coups or attempted coups since winning independence from France in 1975 and is a major source of irregular migration to the nearby French island of Mayotte. Some opposition…
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Botswana and Comoros latest countries to ratify the AfCTA agreement

Botswana and Comoros latest countries to ratify the AfCTA agreement

BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY THE African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single market for goods and services in Africa, got another boost after two more countries handed over instruments of ratification to the African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, during February's session of the African Union. Instruments of ratification are documents by which a state expresses its consent to be bound by a treaty. Botswana and Comoros became the 45th and 46th state party members of the AfCFTA after depositing their instruments of ratification on the sidelines of the 36th Ordinary Session of…
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14 missing after Tanzanian aircraft crash

14 missing after Tanzanian aircraft crash

RESCUERS in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros are searching for 14 passengers and crew on a Tanzania-registered light aircraft that crashed over the weekend, the plane's owner said on Monday. The Cessna Caravan plane, which was on a short-term lease to a Comoran operator, plunged into the sea on Saturday as it flew between the capital Moroni and the city of Fomboni, local media reported. Searchers and rescuers spotted what looked like floating debris in the sea at lunchtime on Monday, Mohammed Mazrui, the managing director of Fly Zanzibar which owns the plane, told Reuters. There had been no…
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