Comoros President Azali Assoumani stabbed

The Comoros government said President Azali Assoumani was slightly injured in a knife attack on Friday, and said the attacker, a former policeman in his 20s whose motives were not yet known, had been detained.

"The head of state was attacked in Suleiman-Estandra, an area bordering Moroni," in the highlands of the archipelago's capital, government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamda said. "Thank God his life is not in danger," she said.

A source close to the presidency, who requested anonymity, said that "the president was slightly injured by a knife during a funeral ceremony," noting that "his injuries are not serious" and that the two attackers have been arrested. Two other sources close to the presidency confirmed that Othmani's injury was minor.

Another source close to Othmani, who requested anonymity, said, "An individual attacked the president with a knife," noting that Othmani "suffered a minor injury," without providing further details.

A third source close to the presidency said that Othmani "received the necessary care. His life is not in danger," adding that the perpetrator of the attack was a young "gendarmerie member" who entered service in 2022. No further details were available about the circumstances of the attack or the attacker's motives.

Last August, Osmani granted his son, Nour El-Fath, broad new powers that would allow him to intervene in all stages of decision-making, less than a month after he was appointed as the government’s coordinator, a move the opposition saw as a prelude to the president passing the reins to his son when his term ends in 2029.

It is noteworthy that Othmani studied at the Royal Moroccan Academy in Marrakech and the Military Academy in France, and rose through the military ranks until he became Chief of Staff in 1998.

He first came to power in 1999 through a coup, and has won four elections since 2002 in this Arab-African Muslim country with a population of about 900,000. He left power in 2006, then returned again in 2016.

Following the presidential elections held last January, bloody clashes erupted between police and demonstrators the day after Othmani was declared the winner in the first round, which the opposition considered fraudulent and demanded the cancellation of the results.

(Agencies)