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Comoros
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Comoros is one of the poorest countries in the world. Economic growth and poverty reduction are major priorities for the government. With a rate of 14.3%, unemployment is considered very high. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy, and 38.4% of the working population is employed in the primary sector. High population densities, as much as 1000 per square kilometer in the densest agricultural zones, for what is still a mostly rural, agricultural economy may lead to an environmental crisis in the near future, especially considering the high rate of population growth. The Comoros' real GDP growth was a low 1.9% in 2004 and real GDP per capita was continuing declining annually in 2004.
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The official currency of the nation of Comoros is the Comorian franc. The Government of Comoros signed a monetary agreement with France in 1979 making Comoros a part of the franc zone. This allowed for the creation of a system of fixed parity between the French franc and the Comorian franc, as well as free convertibility between the two, which was guaranteed with the opening of an operations account at the French Treasury run by the Comorian central bank. This is where all exchange transactions are handled.
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Technically, Comoros has had a multiparty system in operation since independence, but under the terms of the 1996 constitution only those parties that win two parliamentary seats from each island are considered legal. There is an army, the Comorian Defense Force, but effective power has always rested with the Presidential Guard and its leader. The Presidential Guard was armed and managed by mercenaries between 1979 and 1990, and since then it has been run by the French.
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On February 17, 2000, representatives of the government, the Anjouan separatists, the political opposition, and civil society organizations signed a "Framework Accord for Reconciliation in Comoros," brokered by the Organization for African Unity (OAU). The accord called to develop a "New Comorian Entity" with a new constitution. In August representatives from each island debated the first draft; ... the constitution has not yet been implemented.
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The military resources of the Comoros consist of a small standing army and a 500-member police force, as well as a 500-member defense force. A defense treaty with France provides naval resources for protection of territorial waters, training of Comorian military personnel, and air surveillance. France maintains a small troop presence in Comoros at government request. France maintains a small maritime base and a Foreign Legion Detachment (DLEM) on Mayotte. See ... Military of Comoros.
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The Union of Comoros is ruled by President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi. Comoros has been plagued by political instability and civil strife following numerous coups and secession attempts since independence from France in 1975. Former President Azali seized power in a bloodless coup in April 1999, overthrowing interim President Tadijiddine Ben Said Massounde, who himself had held the office since the death of democratically elected President Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim in November 1998. In May 1999, Azali decreed a constitution that gave him both executive and legislative powers. When Azali took power he had pledged to step down in 2000 and relinquish control to a democratically elected president. Instead, in 2001, Azali resigned from the military and ran as a civilian candidate for the national presidency.
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