History of the Comoros (1978–89)
The Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa. France first established colonial rule in the Comoros in 1841. Agreement was reached with France in 1973 for the Comoros to become independent in 1978. On July 6, 1975, but the Comorian parliament passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence. The deputies of Mayotte, which remained under French control, abstained. Referendums on all four of the islands excluding Mayotte showed strong support for independence. Ahmed Abdallah proclaimed the Comoros' independence on September 5, 1975 and became its first president.
Ahmed Abdou
He was born in Mutsamudu on the island of Anjouan. He served as finance minister in the autonomous government of the Comoros briefly during 1972, and again from 1973 until the country received independence in 1975. He became prominent again over 20 years later when in December 1996, he was appointed prime minister of the Comoros. In May 1997 there was a movement to dismiss him, but he survived a parliamentary confidence vote 38–2. The government ran into serious trouble in August 1997 when two of the Comoros's islands, including Abdou's home island of Anjouan, seceded from the union, and Abdou was dismissed in September 1997 after 9 months in office.