UN, AU call for talks to end Comoros 'crisis'

The United Nations and African Union called on Wednesday for talks to urgently re-start in the coup-prone Comoros islands after clashes erupted between government forces and opponents of President Azali Assoumani.

Assoumani's bid to extend term limits has fuelled anger in the Indian Ocean archipelago in recent months.

Security forces have patrolled Mutsamudu, on the island of Anjouan, since Monday, with gunfire erupting as they dismantled barricades erected by anti-government activists.

The spokesperson for United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for "calm and utmost restraint", and urged rivals to support the "inclusive dialogue process" recently established by the African Union.

The AU said it deplored the breakdown of the talks earlier this month, and said there was "an urgent need for confidence-building measures to facilitate the resolution of the crisis".

Assoumani won a referendum in July on constitutional changes that includes ending the rotation of the presidency between the country's three main islands after one term.

Assoumani, from Grand Comore island, launched a crackdown on rivals following the poll, which was boycotted by opposition parties and which he won with 92.74 percent support.

In Mutsamudu, security forces have struggled to regain control of the medina, a warren of narrow streets and alleys, witnesses told AFP, with regular shots continuing for a third day on Wednesday.

'Intolerant of dissent'

One person was killed in clashes, residents and an official source said.

A night-time curfew has been imposed on Anjouan due to the unrest.

Under the constitutional changes, Assoumani, who previously came to power in a military coup and was elected in 2016, will be able to run for consecutive terms.

He has indicated that he plans to stage polls next year which would allow him to reset his term limits and theoretically rule until 2029.

His critics including the opposition Juwa party, which has strong support in Anjouan, have accused him of a "dictatorial power grab".

Former president Abdallah Sambi, the head of the Juwa party and originally from Anjouan, has been charged with corruption as part of Assoumani's crackdown.

"Assoumani appears increasingly intolerant of dissent," Jane Morley, analyst at the London-based Fitch Solutions risk consultancy, told AFP.

"A number of opposition figures have been arrested or gone into hiding, amid accusations of coup plots, corruption and the like.

"Should Assoumani stand in early elections in 2019, as looks likely, power is unlikely to rotate to Anjouan, as would have been the case under the rotational system."

The AU called for all parties "to refrain from any action likely to heighten the current tension".

The last of several coups was in 1999 when Assoumani, then the head of the army, seized power for the first time.

He gave up power in 2006 before being elected in 2016.

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