Comoros President, Assoumani, survives knife attack

President Azali Assoumani of Comoros has survived a knife, and has returned to his home, his office said in a statement.

It said the attacker was arrested by security forces and is in their custody, but gave no details on the attacker’s identity or any more information on the circumstances of the attack.

The attack happened in the town of Salimani on the outskirts of the capital Moroni.

Government minister Aboubacar Said Anli said Saturday that a civilian was injured during the attack while attempting to protect the president.

There was no immediate information on the extent of the injuries sustained by the civilian.

Assoumani was reelected as president of Comoros in January in a vote denounced by opposition parties as fraudulent. At least one person died in unrest following the election.

Assoumani, 65, is a former military officer who first came to power in Comoros in a coup in 1999. He served a first term as president from 2002 – 2006 and was elected again in 2016.

He has been the leader since and extended his presidency into a fourth term this year after changing the constitution to remove term limits and abolishing a system that saw the presidency rotated between Comoros’ three main islands.

He has been accused of cracking down on dissent and banning peaceful protests.

The country, which is made up of an archipelago of islands off the east coast of Africa, has experienced more than a dozen coups or attempted coups since its independence from France in 1975.

Political tension in Comoros:

The Comoros archipelago, located off the coast of East Africa, has been plagued by political tension and instability.

The 2019 presidential elections, which saw President Azali Assoumani secure a second term, were widely criticized for irregularities and allegations of ballot stuffing.

The opposition, led by former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, refused to recognize the results, sparking widespread protests and arrests.

The government’s heavy-handed response, including the use of force against demonstrators and the detention of opposition leaders, has only served to exacerbate the situation.

The political climate in Comoros remains volatile, with concerns about human rights abuses, corruption, and impunity.

The government has been accused of restricting freedom of expression, assembly, and the press, with instances of violence and harassment against journalists and political activists.

The international community has called for calm and restraint, but the situation on the ground remains precarious.

With the country’s history of political instability and coups, there are fears that the current tensions could escalate into wider unrest, undermining the fragile democratic gains made in recent years.

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