Comoros: Update to COM32902.E of 8 October 1999 on the treatment of the Anjouanais in Comoros
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COM41871.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Comoros: Update to COM32902.E of 8 October 1999 on the treatment of the Anjouanais in Comoros, 26 August 2003, COM41871.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/485ba859c.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the treatment of the Anjouanais in Comoros could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, the following briefly summarizes the evolution of the separatist crisis since the island of Anjouan refused to sign the 1999 Antananarivo agreement designed to end the separatist crisis which began in 1997 when Anjouan voted for self-determination (Freedom in the World 2003 12 June 2003) :
Anjouan's refusal to sign the agreement led to violence on Grande Comore and [Colonel]Assoumani's [the president of Comoros] subsequent coup. A reconciliation deal, known as the Fomboni Declaration, was signed in 2000 between the Assoumani government and Anjouan separatists. A national referendum was approved in December 2001 for a new constitution that gave greater autonomy to the three islands of the Comoros within the framework of a confederation, and provided for a rotating executive presidency among the islands every four years (ibid.).
Despite these efforts to reconcile the Comoros Islands, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that, in January 2003, Anjouan "symbolically" rejected the authority of its parent state when it removed the flag of the Union of the Comoros from the Anjouan airport to protest the "dicatorial methods" of union president Azali Assoumani" (AFP 10 Jan. 2003).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 10 January 2003. "Comoros: Reconciliation Process Hits Another Snag." (FBIS-AFR-2003-0110 13 Jan. 2003/DIALOG)
Freedom in the World 2003: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties.12 June 2003. Edited by Adrian Karatnycky et al.
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Research Bulletin
Dialog
Indian Ocean Newsletter
IRB Databases
Internet Sites, including:
Africa Intelligence
Afrol.com
AllAfrica
Amnesty International
A-Watwan
BBC News
Comores aujourd'hui
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002
The East African
La Gazette des Comores
Human Rights Watch
Komoj.net
Le Matin des Comores
Mayotte Hebdo
Thousands of Newspapers on the Web
World Socialist Website
Search engine, including:
Google
X-recherche.com
