LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Comoros: Islands
built 654 days ago
After elections were held in Comoros in March 1996, the elected president, Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim, drafted a new constitution that extends the authority of the president and establishes Islam as the basis for all legislation. Discontent with Taki soon spread across the country, and in mid-1997 the islands of Nzwani and Mwali separately declared their independence from the Comoros. In September dozens of Comorian troops were killed in a failed military operation to put down the secession on Nzwani. The self-proclaimed independent islands have not been recognized by the United Nations. In late 1998 Taki died of a heart attack and was succeeded by an interim president. In April 1999, following riots on Njazidja aimed at people from Nzwani, the interim government was overthrown in a military coup.
Source:
Legend ... tells of a Persian king, Husain ibn Ali, who established a settlement on Comoros around the beginning of the eleventh century. Bantu peoples apparently moved to Comoros before the fourteenth century, principally from the coast of what is now southern Mozambique; on the island of Nzwani they apparently encountered an earlier group of inhabitants, a Malayo-Indonesian people.
Source:
The crisis brought about by the island of Anjouan's secession from the Comoros federation continued throughout 2001. Organization of African Unity (OAU) envoy José Francisco Madeira Caetano led intensive talks that produced a reconciliation agreement. Federal and Anjouan government officials, as well as opposition parties, signed the agreement on February 17.
Source:
With Mayotte going its own way, the Comoros islands joined the United Nations as the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, comprising three islands: Ngazidja (formerly Grande Comore), Nzwani (formerly Anjouan) and Mwali (formerly Mohéli). Mahoré (Mayotte) is administered by France but is claimed by the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros.
Source:
A referendum passed on Dec. 23, 2001, granted the three islands of the Comoros more autonomy and renamed the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros as the new Union of the Comoros. Accordingly, a series of elections were held in the first five months of 2002.
Source:
Conditions are subject to change rapidly in each of the three islands of the Comoros due to a lack of political structure and economic development. U.S. citizens are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Port Louis, Mauritius when visiting Comoros if staying for an extended period of time. Embassy contact information is provided below.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Islands