THURSDAY, 5.30PM
ORGANISATION of African Unity special envoy to the troubled Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, Pierre Yere, on Thursday proposed the deployment of 100 military observers on the secessionist island of Anjouan.
Speaking from Matsumadu, the chief town on Anjouan, Yere said the task of promoting a peace conference between the hardline separatists and representatives of the government in Moroni could be helped by deploying observers. ”It’s important to obtain an accord on the principle of a conference,” Yere said, after a previous effort to bring about such talks from September 10 fell apart when Moroni sent troops to Anjouan a week earlier, only to see them routed by separatist defenders.
Anjouan separatists are demanding full independence from the Grande Comore government. However, Yere said independence is out of the question. ”We rule that out,” he said, a view shared by his counterpart from the Arab League, Mohammad al-Khazindar, who has also been involved in mediating a solution to the crisis.
”We think the observer team must be reinforced,” Yere said on Thursday. ”We need trained men, perhaps gendarmes [paramilitary police] in greater numbers, maybe 100 of them.” Observers said that a ”neutral” military presence could at the same time reassure Anjouanese separatists, who last week freed 24 captured government soldiers as a goodwill gesture, but warned they would execute their other captives if Moroni sends more soldiers.