By Ariwodo praise izuchukwu
Comoros President Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded in a knife attack Friday, the presidency said, adding that the attacker had been arrested.
“The President of the Republic Azali Assoumani was slightly wounded by a knife while attending the funeral” of a well-known religious leader, it said in a statement.
“His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home. The attacker is in the hands of the security services,” it added.
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Government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamadael told AFP that the attack happened in Salimani-Itsandra, an area on the outskirts of the capital Moroni.
“Thank God, his life is not in danger,” she said, declining to give further details.
Witnesses told AFP that the attacker was a 22-year-old with no criminal history, who had joined the army in 2022. He was dressed in a boubou, and was in the room with the religious leader’s body, as mourners were paying respects, they said.
The knife injured the president’s hand, but the attacker was stopped by another mourner, the witnesses said.
Meanwhile, Comoros will hold elections to its 33-seat parliament on Jan. 12, according to a decree published on Saturday, although opposition parties have said they will boycott the poll.
The Indian Ocean archipelago, with a population of about 800,000, last had parliamentary polls in January 2020.
In January incumbent President Azali Assoumani was re-elected for another five-year term, but the opposition rejected the results, alleging instances of ballot stuffing and of voting being ended before the official closing time.
