Comoros Leader Says Rebel Island Talks a Betrayal

The turbulent Indian Ocean archipelago has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since independence from France in 1975.

The federal president of the Comoros on Monday described talks last week between two local leaders, including one from a rebellious island, as a stab in the back.

The African Union (AU) has imposed economic sanctions on Anjouan, one of Comoros' three main islands, because of disputed polls in June that kept local president Mohamed Bacar in power.

Federal President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi had hoped the sanctions would isolate Bacar. But on Friday the local president of Comoros' biggest island, Grande Comore, met Bacar for talks.

"I felt that President Abdouloihabi's trip to Anjouan was like a dagger being stabbed in my back," Sambi said in an address on state radio.

The turbulent Indian Ocean archipelago has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since independence from France in 1975.

The rocky islands now retain some autonomy through local leaderships under the terms of a 2001 peace deal, but also share a rotating national president.

An Anjouan government spokesman said last week's talks between Bacar and Abdouloihabi showed there was a "total breakdown" in the relations between the Grande Comore leader and Sambi.

"(Abdouloihabi) thinks like us, that the crisis could last for 20 years," Mohamed Abdou Madi told Reuters. "The important thing is to avoid confrontation in favour of dialogue."

Several federal soldiers were killed in May when they tried unsuccessfully to seize control of Anjouan buildings and install a replacement president, which had been mandated by a court.

The AU sanctions announced earlier this month included a travel ban on Anjouan leaders, the freezing of funds and the restriction of air and maritime links with the island.