The government of Comoros says its forces have captured most of the rebel-held island of Anjouan, following a pre-dawn invasion. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.
National Army of Development troops are seen shortly after taking control of Anjouan port and surrounding areas, 25 Mar 2008
The spokesman for the Comoros government, Education Minister Abdourahim Said Bacar, says Comoran troops backed by African Union forces from Tanzania and Sudan landed before dawn on the rebel-island.
"The troops have moved in early this morning in the island of Anjouan. And they have already taken possession of the three major cities," he said.
He said the army is in control of the island's capital, Mutsamudi, its port as well as the towns of Ouani and Domoni. The spokesman said coalition forces encountered some resistance near the residence of rebel leader Colonel Mohamed Bacar in Barakani. There were no reports on casualties.
Comoran President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi announced the operation Monday on national radio.
The president said he had ordered the incursion in order to liberate Anjouan from what he called the "rebellion" led by Mohamed Bacar. He praised the Comoran soldiers and thanked the African Union and the countries that supported the operation.
Mohamed Bacar was elected president of Anjouan seven years ago under a union constitution that granted considerable autonomy and a separate president to each of the three islands in the archipelago. He was re-elected last year in elections that he organized, but which were not recognized internationally.
The French trained former policeman said he wanted more autonomy for Anjouan and in recent days offered to hold new elections. But after months of negotiations the African Union called the offer another delaying-tactic and said it backed a military solution for the island.
The African Union sent about 1,400 troops from Tanzania and Sudan with logistical support from Libya, France, and the United States.
Spokesman Said Bacar outlined the Comoran government's priorities for Anjouan, once the situation has been stabilized.
"The first step is to establish a transitional government whose mission will be to organize the election in three months at the latest," added Said Bacar.
He says another priority will be to disarm Mohamed Bacar's militias and find their leader. The government says if the renegade colonel is captured it will to put him on trial for insubordination, corruption and human rights abuses.
During its 32 years of independence, Comoros has experienced several attempted secessions and more than a dozen coups or attempted coups, some of them led by foreign mercenaries.
Location of ComorosComoros, backed by African Union forces, has invaded the island of Anjouan in an effort to topple the rebel leadership of Mohamed Bacar, who has been seeking independence from Comoros.

Around 450 troops disembarked on Monday, landing in the capital of Mutsamudu on Tuesday at dawn, where a jubilant crowd cheered for them. They joined the nearly 1,500 African Union forces from Sudan and Tanzania, with Libya, France, and the United States providing logistical support for the operation.

The Comoros government says they have already captured most of the island. "The operation started in the early morning hours and it is going smoothly and according to plan," said Abdourahim Said Bakar, a government spokesman. "The military has taken control over most of the island - the airport and Anjouan's capital, Mutsamudu." 

There have been no official reports of casualties, but two African Union soldiers appear to have suffered minor injuries, and one reporter saw an elderly man being carried away after apparently being hit by a stray bullet. Sounds of machine guns and heavy artillery could be heard throughout the island.

Mohamed Bacar seized control of Anjouan in a 2001 military coup. After his term expired in 2007, he held his own elections in which he declared himself the winner. This election was viewed as illegal by Comoros and the African Union.

"We hope that by the end of the day we will have the problem resolved," the government spokesman said. "A special group has been selected to capture Bacar, arrest him and bring him to court. He has to pay for his crimes." 

The spokesman also outlined his priorities for Anjouan once the island is stabilized, which included holding elections within three months, disarming Bacar's miltias, and putting Bacar on trial for corruption and human rights abuses once he is found.

The troops met some resistance from supporters of Mohamed Bacar, armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers and numbering around 400. Some loyalists gathered near Bacar's residence in Barakani, but the military soon took control of the area. The residence was searched, but Bacar was nowhere to be found.

The Bacar loyalists have reportedly begun using guerrilla tactics against the invading forces. "I have over a hundred men and we will fight until we die," said Lieutenant Ibrahim Moussa of the loyalists. "It's God's will that will decide who is to win and who is to die. The invaders won't make it through."

Though one Comoros soldier reports that three of Bacar's highest-ranking supporters have been arrested, Bacar himself remains at large. The government spokesman says he has been seen fleeing to the island of Mayotte by canoe. 

"Colonel Mohamed Bacar has been spotted in the village of Sadanpoini where he is heading without doubt for a place to flee on board a kwassa (small canoe) towards Mayotte Island," Abdourahim Said Bacar said. "It seems, according to various sources, that he is dressed as a woman," he added.

However, this information has not been confirmed. "The Comoran command will not confirm any information regarding the arrest of Colonel Bacar," said reporter Franck Berruyer.
 
In a nationally televised address, Comoros president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi said he had approved of the military operation. "I have ordered the Comoran army and the forces of our country's friends to bring Anjouan back under the rule of law and free her citizens," he said.

Meanwhile, South African president Thabo Mbeki denounced the operation. "It takes Comoros back to the use of force to solve a problem that could have been resolved with negotiations," he said in a televised statement. "There was no need to deploy troops."