One dead in Comoros as clashes erupt over rising fuel prices

By Abdou Moustoifa

MORONI, May 16 – One person has been killed and five injured in clashes between protesters and security forces on the Comorian island of Anjouan, as unrest over fuel price hikes spreads across the archipelago.

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Mutsamudu informs the public that a tragic event occurred today in Anjouan, in the Mpage area, resulting in the death of one person and five injuries,” the prosecutor said in a statement on Saturday.

Clashes broke out on Friday after a meeting between the mayor of Mirontsy and the fishermen’s association, which has been on strike since Wednesday in protest at rising fuel prices.

Roads were blocked with stones in Mutsamudu, the capital of Anjouan, and a judicial investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the person’s death.

The unrest follows a broader strike that began Monday after the government raised diesel prices by 46% and gasoline prices by 35%, citing the Middle East conflict. Transport workers and shopkeepers have paralysed public transportation in the capital Moroni, and 39 people have been detained since the start of the strike, according to the National Human Rights Commission.

The government has announced cuts to official travel and a 40% reduction in customs duties in an effort to ease tensions.

(Reporting ​by Abdou Moustoifa; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)