Comoros president wounded in knife attack – sources close to presidency

Comorian President Azali Assoumani. (Michele Spatari/AFP)

Comoros President Azali Assoumani was wounded in an attack on Friday, the government said, with three other sources close to the Presidency saying he was stabbed but only slightly injured.

“The head of state was victim of an attack in Salimani-Itsandra,” an area on the outskirts of the capital Moroni, government spokesperson Fatima Ahamadael told AFP.

“Thank God, his life is not in danger.”

She declined to give further details but a source close to the president said: “President Azali Assoumani was slightly injured by a knife while attending a funeral.”

“His injuries are not serious,” the source said, adding that the attacker was arrested.

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Two other sources close to the Presidency confirmed that the president was slightly injured during the attack

.”The president has received appropriate care. He is out of danger,” a second source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source added that the attacker was a young “active-duty gendarme” who was recruited in 2022.

No other details were immediately available.

Azali, 65, a former military ruler who came to power in a coup in 1999, was re-elected president in January after a disputed vote that was followed by two days of deadly protests. He has been accused of growing authoritarianism.

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