Political career

He served as interior minister

Interior minister

An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...

 of the State of Comoros, (Etat Comorien), briefly during 1975 when Comoros gained independence, but lost that post when Ali Soilih

Ali Soilih

Ali Soilih, full name Ali Soilih Mtsashiwa, was a Comorian socialist revolutionary and political figure.-Biography:...

 took power. On May 13, 1978, Atthoumani helped lead a coup in which Soilih was overthrown.

Until 23 May 1978 Atthoumani headed the short-lived provisional government by leading a politico-military directorate which took charge of the State of Comoros. Ten days after the coup, the two men who had financed the coup, former president Ahmed Abdallah

Ahmed Abdallah

Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane was a Comorian politician. He was President of the Comoros from 25 October 1978 until his death.-Life prior to the presidency:...

 (himself the victim of the 1975 coup) and former vice president Mohamed Ahmed

Mohamed Ahmed

Mohamed Ahmed was a Comorian politician. He was born in Mutsamudu on the island of Anjouan. During the 1950s, he became one of the most important non-French political leaders in the Comoros, and served as vice-president of the government council from 1957 until 1962...

, returned to Moroni from exile in Paris. After Atthoumani formally gave up power to them, they installed themselves as joint presidents, renaming the state as Federal and Islamic Republic of Comoros, (République Fédérale Islamique des Comores). Soon thereafter, Abdallah was named sole executive.

Little other information is available about Atthoumani except that several other members of his family were politicians. He was the nephew of Said Mohamed Jaffar

Said Mohamed Jaffar

Prince Said Mohamed Jaffar was the former president of the State of Comoros from August 1975 until January 1976, as well as chief minister of the Comoros government from August till December 1975....

, Chairman of the National Executive Council of the Comoros from August 1975 to 3 January 1976.