One person was killed and five others injured in clashes with police following the announcement on Tuesday evening of the re-election of President Azali Assoumani in the Comoros. The head of state was re-elected with a vote characterized by very low participation. The opposition, which denounces “gross fraud” and “rigged votes”, is calling for the elections to be annulled.
Published on: 18/01/2024 – 15:49
4 minutes
Tension continues in the Comoros. One person was killed and five injured in the clashes following the announcement, on Tuesday 16 January, of the victory – contested by the opposition – of the resigning Azali Assoumani in the presidential elections. A 21-year-old person was killed, “most likely by a gunshot,” said Dr. Djabir Ibrahim, head of the emergency department at Maarouf hospital in Moroni. Five others were injured, including one suffering from “severe chest trauma with a life-threatening prognosis,” he continued.
Sporadic tensions between youth groups and law enforcement persisted in Moroni on Thursday. In the alleys of the city center, groups of young people, often with their faces hidden, threw stones in the direction of the police, who responded with tear gas.
“We have been fighting for more than 24 hours because we don’t agree with the election results. That’s why we burned the official buildings,” explained a young protester, who did not want to reveal her name.
The minister’s house burned down
Clashes increased in several neighborhoods of Moroni on Wednesday. Buildings were vandalized and burned: a minister’s house, the premises of a state enterprise, a rice warehouse. Some tore down re-elected President Azali’s election posters.
Improvised checkpoints made of piles of stones and pieces of wood were set up on the roads. Several arrests were made but no details were made public. Protest is rare in this country held with an iron fist and where any dissent is quickly stifled.
On Wednesday evening and until further notice, a night curfew was introduced on the three islands of the country (Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli).
A measure that is the expression of “a truly ferocious and savage dictatorship”, says Saïd Mohamed Saïd Tourqui, member of an opposition party. Since Wednesday, the Internet connection has been largely interrupted and some pages are no longer accessible on social networks.
A participation rate of 16.30%
Azali Assoumani was re-elected on Sunday in the first round with 62.97% of the votes but with only 16.30% turnout, according to official data released Tuesday evening. This victory should allow him to return for a third consecutive term and remain in power until 2029.
The opposition denounced “serious fraud” and “electoral mix-ups”, demanding the annulment of the vote. He called on the country to demonstrate this Friday.
“It is not an organized protest but we stand in solidarity with the spontaneous movement. We pay homage to the courage of these young people. Demonstrating is a right”, underlines the opposition presidential candidate, Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed. “This country must return to normality. This contempt for Azali Assoumani and his friends must end,” adds another opposition candidate, preferring to speak on condition of anonymity.
The UN on Wednesday appealed for “calm” in the Comoros, urging authorities to protect the right to demonstrate. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also asked the authorities to protect “democratic principles” and called on protesters to avoid resorting to violence.
Azali Assoumani, now 65, has thrown many of his opponents into prison and exile in his bid for power. In 2018 he promoted a constitutional reform that allowed him to centralize powers.
Having come to the helm of the country in 1999 with a coup d’état, the colonel was elected for the first time in 2002. After having distanced himself from business for a certain period, he returned to power in 2016. The Comoros archipelago has 870,000 inhabitants , of which 45% live below the poverty line according to the World Bank.
With AFP
2024-01-18 14:49:08
#dead #injured #clashes #police