In a context of growing opposition to his presidency, Comoros President Azali Assoumani survived a knife attack during a public event on 13 September. The assailant, who managed to breach security, was identified as a 24-year-old soldier. The following day, the attacker was found dead in his prison cell under unclear circumstances. This incident has heightened political tensions in Comoros, where Assoumani has faced growing opposition due to concerns over his extended time in power and alleged efforts to suppress political dissent. The President has a history of surviving assassination attempts, with the most recent ones occurring in 2019 and 2020. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the attacker’s death.

Sources: AP News, BBC, Le Monde, Jeune Afrique, The East African, Bloomberg

In August 2024, Comoros President Azali Assoumani granted his son, Nour El Fath Azali, significant authority over government affairs, sparking fears of dynastic control. El Fath was appointed secretary general of the government on 1 July, a role traditionally administrative but greatly expanded by decree on 6 August. With his new powers, the secretary general of Comoros must approve all decrees issued by ministers and governors of the three islands before being officially published and enacted. The decree also allows El Fath to intervene at all stages of government decision making. Critics believe this move elevates El Fath’s role to that of de facto prime minister. The expansion of El Fath’s role has raised alarms over the continued erosion of democratic governance in Comoros, with human rights groups warning of weakened political checks and balances as well as a significant increase in authority.

Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), Reuters, RFI, France24

Comoros held elections for the national presidency and the governors of the three largest islands on 14 January. The Independent National Election Commission (Commission Electoral National Independante, CENI) reported that the incumbent president Azali Assoumani won re-election in the first round, receiving 62.97 per cent of the valid votes. CENI reported presidential election turnout to be 16.30 per cent, while turnout in the gubernatorial elections varied between 39.13 per cent and 69.56 per cent. There were six candidates for president, all of whom are men. There was only one woman among the 26 candidates for governor: Chamina Ben Mohamed who won the governorship of Mohéli. A joint election observation mission from the African Union and Eastern African Standby Force noted political tensions during the early part of the electoral process but described elections as taking place in a peaceful atmosphere, and found few logistical or procedural problems in the management of the election. Opposition candidates’ legal challenges to the election were dismissed by the Supreme Court. The Court released revised figures for the election, finding that President Assoumani received 57.2 per cent of the votes, with turnout much higher than reported by the CENI at 56 per cent. This would be slightly up from the last presidential election in 2019 which had 53 per cent turnout.

Sources: Commission Electoral National Independante (1), Commission Electoral National Independante (2), African Union and Eastern African Standby Force, The East African, Radio France Internationale

Comoros’ capital city, Moroni, was rocked by riots in the days after the official result of the presidential election was announced by the Independent National Election Commission (Commission Electoral National Independante, CENI) on 16 January. The CENI reported that incumbent President Azali Assoumani had been re-elected for a fourth term, in an election with only 16.3 per cent turnout. Opposition candidates alleged that the election was manipulated through fraud and the stuffing of ballot boxes. Demonstrations against the official result of the election turned violent as demonstrators blocked roads, burned vehicles, set fire to the home of a government minister, and looted shops and a food depot. The police responded with force, including the use of tear gas. One protestor was reported to have been killed and at least 25 injured. A curfew was ordered, the army was deployed to keep order, and Internet access was disrupted.

Sources: France24, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Access Now

On 28 November Comoros’ State Security Court sentenced the country’s former President, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, to life in prison, after convicting him of ‘high treason’ for his role in a corrupt passport sale scheme. The scheme, which was purportedly established to fund development in Comoros, was found by a parliamentary commission to be illegal and its revenues to have been embezzled. The commission suspected Sambi and his successor, former President Lkiliou Dhoinine, to be responsible for the embezzlement. According to the prosecution, Sambi embezzled $1.8 billion (USD). Official corruption convictions are rare in Comoros, and some, including the human rights NGO Alkarama, have suggested that there was political interference in the legal proceedings brought against Sambi, who is a political rival of serving President Azali Assoumani. Such concerns make it difficult to determine whether Sambi’s conviction signals improved accountability for official corruption in Comoros or a deterioration in judicial independence and access to justice.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Alkarama, U.S. State Department