Comoros Islands: Government declares curfew following post-election unrest
Opposition supporters destr0y a billboard image of incumbent Comoros President and president of Convention for the Renewal of Comoros (CRC), Azali Assoumani, during a demonstration in Moroni on January 17, 2024 following the announcement of the presidential elections. Azali Assoumani won re-election on January 16, 2024 in the first round of an already disputed presidential vote in the Comoros, an Indian Ocean island chain, dismissing a low turnout and allegations of fraud. The January 14, 2024 poll was tainted by opposition claims of ballot rigging and voter apathy, but the head of the electoral commission Idrissa Said Ben Ahmada on Tuesday announced Assoumani had won 62.97 percent of the vote. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
The government of the Comoros Islands has announced an overnight curfew after police and soldiers clashed with demonstrators who are protesting against the re-election of President Azali Assoumani.
Opposition parties have appealed for the election to be declared illegitimate, alleging that the poll was a sham.
Tear gas was fired, while demonstrators burned tires and blocked roads in Moroni, the capital city.
Scores of people were also arrested during the demonstrations, as protests were reported in other towns across the Indian Ocean archipelago.
A government spokesman accused the opposition of causing public disorder.
In the meantime, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Vulker Turks, has called for calm while urging the authorities to ensure the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
On Tuesday, the electoral commission declared that Mr Assoumani had received 63% of the vote in Sunday’s ballot, securing a fourth term as president.
He won the 2019 election with 60% of the vote, passing the 50% mark required to avoid a run-off.
Critics say since then his government has cracked down on oppositions, an accusation it denies.
