Anjouan
Encyclopedia
Anjouan is an autonomous island
, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean
. Its capital is Mutsamudu
and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers (163 sq. mi.).
and Polynesia
. After that people all around the Indian Ocean began to come to Anjouan and the Comoros Islands. In about 1500, the Sultanate of Ndzuwani (Anjouan) was founded, which took over the entire island (for further information see: List of sultans on the Comoros). The sultanate was the most powerful of all the Comorian sultanates. In 1816, Sultan Alawi bin Husein requested French assistance against the Sultanate of Zanzibar which was threatening his domain. The island came under French
protection in 1886 and was formally annexed by France in 1912. The strictly republican annexation was opposed by the last reigning sultan but his meager forces were crushed when they offered resistance.
seceded from the Comoros. On 3 August 1997, Anjouan declared itself the independent State of Anjouan (État d’Anjouan) with Foundi Abdallah Ibrahim as president. The island then asked to be integrated again into the French Republic; but France refused. A constitution was adopted for Anjouan in a referendum on 25 February 1998.
In 1999, Anjouan had internal conflicts and on 1 August of that year, the 80-year-old Foundi Abdallah Ibrahim resigned, transferring power to a national coordinator, Said Abeid. The government was overthrown in a coup by army and navy officers on 9 August 2001. Mohamed Bacar
soon rose to leadership of the junta
that took over and by the end of the month he was the leader of the country. Despite two coup attempts in the following three months, including one by Abeid, Bacar’s government remained in power, and was apparently more willing to negotiate with Comoros.
After the creation of the Union, the islands were reunified with Comoros in 2002 and a new Union of the Comoros constitution mandated the election of a President of the Autonomous island of Anjouan along with presidents for the other two autonomous islands and a President of the Union. Bacar was elected for a 5-year term as President of the island of Anjouan. His term expired on 14 April 2007 and the president of the assembly, Houmadi Caambi, became acting president from 15 April until he was overthrown by forces loyal to Bacar on 10 May.
Peace talks were held between the government and the local regime in Anjouan and agreed to hold free elections in which Mohamed Bacar would stand. Although the Union government delayed the election - citing alleged irregularities and intimidation — Bacar unilaterally printed ballots and held an illegal election in June. The result, due to election fraud, was an overwhelming victory of 90 percent. In July 2007, he once again declared the island of Anjouan to be independent of the Comoros.
In February 2008, the Comoros rejected the African Union
's extended sanctions against Anjouan and instead opted for a military solution. In early March, the Comoros armed forces and around 400 international reinforcements from the African Union assembled on the island of Mohéli
. Hostilities began on March 11, when Comorian forces staged an armed incursion on the island but diplomacy continued with an intervention by South African President Thabo Mbeki
who attempted to delay the planned invasion to the distinct displeasure of the Comorian government.
There were further incursions between 14 March and 16 March and clashes between local forces loyal to Mohamed Bacar and, presumably, those from the African Union invasion force which then retreated back to Mohéli.
On 19 March, a French military helicopter on a clandestine mission from French-administered Mayotte
crashed in the sea close to the city of Sima
on Anjouan. Critics of the action allege the helicopter was involved in an attempt to bring Bacar into French exile, and that Bacar was able to hold out so long only because he was protected by the French.
The main operation and, ultimately, the invasion of Anjouan began on the evening of 24 March when five boats transporting approximately 1,500 soldiers had left Mohéli on their way to Anjouan. In the early hours of 25 March, an amphibious landing was made by Comoran troops supported by contingents from the African Union. The combined forces quickly advanced on the town of Ouani
to secure the airfield. After the airport was secured the invasion force apparently split where part of it headed south-west to engage Anjouanais loyalists in the capital, Matsumudu, and the remainder headed south-east capturing the port of Bambao M'Sanga and the second city of Domoni without resistance.
Mohamed Bacar managed to escape to Mayotte by 26 March to seek political asylum. He was subsequently held in custody there by the French administration and brought to the island of Réunion
, where he was charged for entering French territory illegally and possession of weapons. On 15 May, France rejected Bacar's request for asylum but the French refugee office ruled that the ousted leader could not be extradited to Comoros because of the risk of persecution. France's State Secretary for Overseas, Yves Jégo, said France would support the Comoran government's efforts. "We will continue to act in consultation with the Comoros so that the law can be applied and Col Bacar can be tried."
, the interim president of Anjouan was Laili Zamane Abdou In May 2008, The Constitutional Court of the Comoros approved five candidates to contest the Anjouan presidential election
of 15 June and invalidated the candidacy of Mohamed Bacar. Comoran President A.A. Sambi
supported engineer Moussa Toybou
for the position who won a bare plurality in the initial balloting. In the second round of the elections held on 29 June, he was contested by political veteran Mohamed Djaanfari
but won with 52% of the vote.
.
is a rare owl. The Anjouan Sparrowhawk is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Frances's Goshawk.
, Antalotes and Shirazi
s make up the population of Anjouan. The main religion is Sunni Islam
. Although the island is filled with large numbers of mosques, religious observance is not as strict as it is in many other countries observing Islam. Alcohol is forbidden to Muslims.
as a currency which is printed by the Bank of France and issued by the central bank of the country : the Central Bank of the Comoros
. The economy of the island is dependent on agriculture and related industries. These industries employ over 80% of the work force. The island's main food staple is rice
, most of which must be imported. Anjouan is the world's primary exporter of ylang-ylang
oil, an ingredient in almost all perfumes.
s. All of the shell banks and other entities are located offshore and have no permanent presence in the Comoros. Anjouan sold the right to issue bank licenses and delegated most of its authority to operate and regulate the offshore business to private, non-Comoran domiciled parties. In 2002, after Anjouan's reentry into the Union of the Comoros as an autonomous island, Anjouan's Offshore Finance Authority was established to promote the island as a tax haven
to attract foreign capital. In 2005, new laws were passed and many of the banking licenses issued there were cancelled or carried over after additional fees were paid to the newly rearranged Offshore Finance Authority, monopolized by Anjouan Corporate Services Limited since 2003, which has claimed the authority as registered agent for all International Business Companies and banking license
issuance on the island since that time. It should also be noted that the company claining to sell licenses previous to 2003 were sued in the London High Court and lost, The High Court of Justice confirmed after seeing all the legal documentation that Anjouan Corporate Services Ltd, were legally entitled to operate the offshore business.
The Central Bank of the Comoros
claims sole authority to issue banking licenses (although they have no offshore legislation in place and are not equipped to handle any International Due Diligence) and the regulation of banks on any island in the Union. How that would be legal, in light of the 2002 treaty under which Anjouan rejoined the Comoros Union as an autonomous island, is unclear. The United States Department of State
and the Union government officials in Grande-Comore claim Anjouan no longer issue banking licenses to offshore entities, that current legal licensing authority rests with Union authorities, and the Anjouan counterparts are under Union control which undermines the 2002 treaty. However, the already established offshore entities remain outside Union control, and the entity to which the Anjouan authorities sold licensing authority may still be issuing licenses in the name of Anjouan. Further, they claim that offshore banks operating in the autonomous islands of the Union of the Comoros without prior authorization from the Union Finance Minister operate illegally, although they claim to have legally signed authority ( which the courts in London confirmed are legal ). Because the involved computer servers and illicit “entities” are located outside the Comoros, ( which applies in today's technical arena as normal practice )the Union government lacks the jurisdiction and capacity to act beyond the announcements and warnings regarding the illegal entities. The Comoran government has solicited the law enforcement authorities in France to locate the perpetrators, who were reportedly in Europe
. During 2008, Comoros closed many of these "illegitimate" financial institutions. What is interesting is that the Island of Moheli have been selling banking Licenses for the past 10 years under the email addresshttp://mwali-registrar.com/entities_banks.htm, with no problems from the Union authorities at all. They operate a web site with all their details, however there are no offshore authorities there at all.
were held in Anjouan on 15 June following the 2008 invasion of Anjouan
to oust Mohamed Bacar
as President of Anjouan
. About 128,000 people were eligible to vote. Mohamed Djaanfari
, a former vice-president of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros
, and Moussa Toybou
, a former minister in Said Mohamed Djohar
's government, advanced to the runoff round held on 29 June. The final official result, as confirmed by the constitutional court on 3 July 2008, declared Toybou the winner with 52.42% of the vote to Djaanfari's 47.58%.
The main strategic area is the airfield at Ouani
with its 1.5 km runway and the bay with the coastal road from the capital Mutsamudu
in the east out to the city of Sima
in the west.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Its capital is Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu is the second largest city in the Comoros, founded in 1482. It is also the capital and largest city on the island of Anjouan as well the former home of the current Comoron Union president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...
and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers (163 sq. mi.).
Early and colonial history
The first inhabitants of the island were explorers and immigrants from IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. After that people all around the Indian Ocean began to come to Anjouan and the Comoros Islands. In about 1500, the Sultanate of Ndzuwani (Anjouan) was founded, which took over the entire island (for further information see: List of sultans on the Comoros). The sultanate was the most powerful of all the Comorian sultanates. In 1816, Sultan Alawi bin Husein requested French assistance against the Sultanate of Zanzibar which was threatening his domain. The island came under French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
protection in 1886 and was formally annexed by France in 1912. The strictly republican annexation was opposed by the last reigning sultan but his meager forces were crushed when they offered resistance.
Anjouan under independent Comoros
Anjouan joined the State of Comoros when it became independent in 1975.Independent then Autonomous Anjouan
In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and MohéliMohéli
Mohéli, also known as Mwali, is one of the three islands which make up the nation of Comoros. Mohéli is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is by far the smallest of the Comoros islands. Its population, as of 2006, is about 38,000. Its capital city is Fomboni...
seceded from the Comoros. On 3 August 1997, Anjouan declared itself the independent State of Anjouan (État d’Anjouan) with Foundi Abdallah Ibrahim as president. The island then asked to be integrated again into the French Republic; but France refused. A constitution was adopted for Anjouan in a referendum on 25 February 1998.
In 1999, Anjouan had internal conflicts and on 1 August of that year, the 80-year-old Foundi Abdallah Ibrahim resigned, transferring power to a national coordinator, Said Abeid. The government was overthrown in a coup by army and navy officers on 9 August 2001. Mohamed Bacar
Mohamed Bacar
Colonel Mohamed Bacar was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, from 2001 to 2008. He is a former chief of police on Anjouan and has studied extensively in France and the United States. He was part of a military coup on Anjouan in August...
soon rose to leadership of the junta
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
that took over and by the end of the month he was the leader of the country. Despite two coup attempts in the following three months, including one by Abeid, Bacar’s government remained in power, and was apparently more willing to negotiate with Comoros.
After the creation of the Union, the islands were reunified with Comoros in 2002 and a new Union of the Comoros constitution mandated the election of a President of the Autonomous island of Anjouan along with presidents for the other two autonomous islands and a President of the Union. Bacar was elected for a 5-year term as President of the island of Anjouan. His term expired on 14 April 2007 and the president of the assembly, Houmadi Caambi, became acting president from 15 April until he was overthrown by forces loyal to Bacar on 10 May.
Peace talks were held between the government and the local regime in Anjouan and agreed to hold free elections in which Mohamed Bacar would stand. Although the Union government delayed the election - citing alleged irregularities and intimidation — Bacar unilaterally printed ballots and held an illegal election in June. The result, due to election fraud, was an overwhelming victory of 90 percent. In July 2007, he once again declared the island of Anjouan to be independent of the Comoros.
2008 invasion of Anjouan
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
's extended sanctions against Anjouan and instead opted for a military solution. In early March, the Comoros armed forces and around 400 international reinforcements from the African Union assembled on the island of Mohéli
Mohéli
Mohéli, also known as Mwali, is one of the three islands which make up the nation of Comoros. Mohéli is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is by far the smallest of the Comoros islands. Its population, as of 2006, is about 38,000. Its capital city is Fomboni...
. Hostilities began on March 11, when Comorian forces staged an armed incursion on the island but diplomacy continued with an intervention by South African President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
who attempted to delay the planned invasion to the distinct displeasure of the Comorian government.
There were further incursions between 14 March and 16 March and clashes between local forces loyal to Mohamed Bacar and, presumably, those from the African Union invasion force which then retreated back to Mohéli.
On 19 March, a French military helicopter on a clandestine mission from French-administered Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
crashed in the sea close to the city of Sima
Sima, Comoros
Sima is a town located on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros.It has an estimated population of 11,000....
on Anjouan. Critics of the action allege the helicopter was involved in an attempt to bring Bacar into French exile, and that Bacar was able to hold out so long only because he was protected by the French.
The main operation and, ultimately, the invasion of Anjouan began on the evening of 24 March when five boats transporting approximately 1,500 soldiers had left Mohéli on their way to Anjouan. In the early hours of 25 March, an amphibious landing was made by Comoran troops supported by contingents from the African Union. The combined forces quickly advanced on the town of Ouani
Ouani
Ouani is a town of about 10,000 population located on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros....
to secure the airfield. After the airport was secured the invasion force apparently split where part of it headed south-west to engage Anjouanais loyalists in the capital, Matsumudu, and the remainder headed south-east capturing the port of Bambao M'Sanga and the second city of Domoni without resistance.
Mohamed Bacar managed to escape to Mayotte by 26 March to seek political asylum. He was subsequently held in custody there by the French administration and brought to the island of Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, where he was charged for entering French territory illegally and possession of weapons. On 15 May, France rejected Bacar's request for asylum but the French refugee office ruled that the ousted leader could not be extradited to Comoros because of the risk of persecution. France's State Secretary for Overseas, Yves Jégo, said France would support the Comoran government's efforts. "We will continue to act in consultation with the Comoros so that the law can be applied and Col Bacar can be tried."
Post-invasion Anjouan
Following the March 2008 invasion of Anjouan2008 invasion of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan , on March 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France...
, the interim president of Anjouan was Laili Zamane Abdou In May 2008, The Constitutional Court of the Comoros approved five candidates to contest the Anjouan presidential election
Anjouan presidential election, 2008
A presidential election was held in Anjouan on 15 June and 29 June 2008 following the 2008 invasion of Anjouan to oust Mohamed Bacar as President of Anjouan. The election was won by Moussa Toybou, who defeated Mohamed Djaanfari in the second round....
of 15 June and invalidated the candidacy of Mohamed Bacar. Comoran President A.A. Sambi
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the 14 May 2006 presidential election with 58.02% of the national vote, Sambi was inaugurated as President of the Union of the...
supported engineer Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou is the President of the autonomous island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros. Toybou won the June 2008 Anjouan presidential election, which was held to replace Mohamed Bacar following the March 2008 invasion of Anjouan...
for the position who won a bare plurality in the initial balloting. In the second round of the elections held on 29 June, he was contested by political veteran Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and ended up losing badly to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...
but won with 52% of the vote.
Geography
Anjouan is part of the Comoros Islands located in the Mozambique Channel. The second most important (and the most populous) city on Anjouan is DomoniDomoni
Domoni is the second largest city on the Comorian island of Anjouan, located on the east coast of the island.- History :...
.
Climate
The highs on the island range from 27°C to 32°C (80°F to 90°F) year-round. The weather is warm and humid from December to April and slightly cooler from May to November.Fauna
The Anjouan Scops OwlAnjouan Scops Owl
The Anjouan Scops Owl, Otus capnodes, is an owl endemic to the Comoro Islands.This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae....
is a rare owl. The Anjouan Sparrowhawk is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Frances's Goshawk.
Culture
African mainlanders, Creoles, Arabs, Malay-PolynesiansPolynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
, Antalotes and Shirazi
Shirazi (ethnic group)
The Shirazi are a sub-group of the Swahili people living on the Swahili Coast of East Africa, especially on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros. Local traditions about their origin claim they are descended from merchant princes from Shiraz in Persia who settled along the Swahili Coast....
s make up the population of Anjouan. The main religion is Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
. Although the island is filled with large numbers of mosques, religious observance is not as strict as it is in many other countries observing Islam. Alcohol is forbidden to Muslims.
Economy
The island uses the Comorian francComorian franc
The franc is the official currency of Comoros. It is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes, although no centime denominations have ever been issued.-History:...
as a currency which is printed by the Bank of France and issued by the central bank of the country : the Central Bank of the Comoros
Central Bank of the Comoros
The Central Bank of the Comoros is the central bank of the Comoros, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.-Operations:The statutes of the BCC state that its Board of Directors shall have eight members who are chosen from the Comorian Government, the French Central Bank and the French government...
. The economy of the island is dependent on agriculture and related industries. These industries employ over 80% of the work force. The island's main food staple is rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, most of which must be imported. Anjouan is the world's primary exporter of ylang-ylang
Ylang-ylang
Cananga odorata, commonly called Ylang-ylang , cananga tree, ilang-ilang, kenanga , fragrant cananga, Macassar-oil plant or perfume tree),is a tree valued for its perfume...
oil, an ingredient in almost all perfumes.
Banking system
Anjouan, pursuant to the Regulation of Banks and Comparable Establishments of 1999, licensed more than 300 offshore bankOffshore bank
An offshore bank is a bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor, typically in a low tax jurisdiction that provides financial and legal advantages. These advantages typically include:...
s. All of the shell banks and other entities are located offshore and have no permanent presence in the Comoros. Anjouan sold the right to issue bank licenses and delegated most of its authority to operate and regulate the offshore business to private, non-Comoran domiciled parties. In 2002, after Anjouan's reentry into the Union of the Comoros as an autonomous island, Anjouan's Offshore Finance Authority was established to promote the island as a tax haven
Tax haven
A tax haven is a state or a country or territory where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all while offering due process, good governance and a low corruption rate....
to attract foreign capital. In 2005, new laws were passed and many of the banking licenses issued there were cancelled or carried over after additional fees were paid to the newly rearranged Offshore Finance Authority, monopolized by Anjouan Corporate Services Limited since 2003, which has claimed the authority as registered agent for all International Business Companies and banking license
Banking license
Under most jurisdictions, a banking license is a prerequisite for a financial institution that wants to provide banking services, such as taking deposits from the general public....
issuance on the island since that time. It should also be noted that the company claining to sell licenses previous to 2003 were sued in the London High Court and lost, The High Court of Justice confirmed after seeing all the legal documentation that Anjouan Corporate Services Ltd, were legally entitled to operate the offshore business.
The Central Bank of the Comoros
Central Bank of the Comoros
The Central Bank of the Comoros is the central bank of the Comoros, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.-Operations:The statutes of the BCC state that its Board of Directors shall have eight members who are chosen from the Comorian Government, the French Central Bank and the French government...
claims sole authority to issue banking licenses (although they have no offshore legislation in place and are not equipped to handle any International Due Diligence) and the regulation of banks on any island in the Union. How that would be legal, in light of the 2002 treaty under which Anjouan rejoined the Comoros Union as an autonomous island, is unclear. The United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
and the Union government officials in Grande-Comore claim Anjouan no longer issue banking licenses to offshore entities, that current legal licensing authority rests with Union authorities, and the Anjouan counterparts are under Union control which undermines the 2002 treaty. However, the already established offshore entities remain outside Union control, and the entity to which the Anjouan authorities sold licensing authority may still be issuing licenses in the name of Anjouan. Further, they claim that offshore banks operating in the autonomous islands of the Union of the Comoros without prior authorization from the Union Finance Minister operate illegally, although they claim to have legally signed authority ( which the courts in London confirmed are legal ). Because the involved computer servers and illicit “entities” are located outside the Comoros, ( which applies in today's technical arena as normal practice )the Union government lacks the jurisdiction and capacity to act beyond the announcements and warnings regarding the illegal entities. The Comoran government has solicited the law enforcement authorities in France to locate the perpetrators, who were reportedly in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. During 2008, Comoros closed many of these "illegitimate" financial institutions. What is interesting is that the Island of Moheli have been selling banking Licenses for the past 10 years under the email addresshttp://mwali-registrar.com/entities_banks.htm, with no problems from the Union authorities at all. They operate a web site with all their details, however there are no offshore authorities there at all.
Politics
Presidential electionsAnjouan presidential election, 2008
A presidential election was held in Anjouan on 15 June and 29 June 2008 following the 2008 invasion of Anjouan to oust Mohamed Bacar as President of Anjouan. The election was won by Moussa Toybou, who defeated Mohamed Djaanfari in the second round....
were held in Anjouan on 15 June following the 2008 invasion of Anjouan
2008 invasion of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan , on March 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France...
to oust Mohamed Bacar
Mohamed Bacar
Colonel Mohamed Bacar was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, from 2001 to 2008. He is a former chief of police on Anjouan and has studied extensively in France and the United States. He was part of a military coup on Anjouan in August...
as President of Anjouan
President of Anjouan
The President of Anjouan is the head of Anjouan, one of the three islands of the Union of Comoros. The position was firstly established in 1997 after the Declaration of independence of Anjouan...
. About 128,000 people were eligible to vote. Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and ended up losing badly to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...
, a former vice-president of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros
Assembly of the Union of the Comoros
The unicameral Assembly of the Union of the Comoros is the country's legislative body.The current Assembly of the Union, formed following elections held on 18 and 25 April 2004, has a total of 33 members. 18 member are directly elected in single member constituencies using the two-round system...
, and Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou is the President of the autonomous island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros. Toybou won the June 2008 Anjouan presidential election, which was held to replace Mohamed Bacar following the March 2008 invasion of Anjouan...
, a former minister in Said Mohamed Djohar
Said Mohamed Djohar
Said Mohammed Djohar was a Comorian politician who served as President of the Comoros during the 1990s.-Climb to power:...
's government, advanced to the runoff round held on 29 June. The final official result, as confirmed by the constitutional court on 3 July 2008, declared Toybou the winner with 52.42% of the vote to Djaanfari's 47.58%.
Military
Anjouan invested heavily in its national security under Mohamed Bacar. Main components were the Gendarmerie commanded by Commander Abdou, the younger brother of Bacar. A battalion size militia of approximately 500 backed the Gendarmerie. Since the eviction of Bacar in March 2008, the Anjouanais defence forces are led by the Government of the Union of the Comoros.The main strategic area is the airfield at Ouani
Ouani
Ouani is a town of about 10,000 population located on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros....
with its 1.5 km runway and the bay with the coastal road from the capital Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu is the second largest city in the Comoros, founded in 1482. It is also the capital and largest city on the island of Anjouan as well the former home of the current Comoron Union president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...
in the east out to the city of Sima
Sima, Comoros
Sima is a town located on the island of Anjouan in the Comoros.It has an estimated population of 11,000....
in the west.
External links
- Official website of the Government of Comoros
- Anjouan.net (In English and French)
- Official website of the Central Bank of Comoros
- (http://anjouancorporateservices.com/legislation2.html)
- (http://anjouangov.com/content_eng/legislation.html)