President of the Comoros injured in knife attack

The President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, was injured in a knife attack, authorities said.

“Thank God his life is not in danger,” said a government spokeswoman.

He was stabbed at the funeral of a religious leader near the capital Moroni, but suffered only “minor injuries” and has since returned home, spokeswoman Fatima Ahamada told Reuters.

She added that the attacker had been arrested.

The motive for the stabbing is still unclear.

The identity of the stabber has not been publicly confirmed, but several reports suggest that he is a young military officer.

Witnesses told AFP that they saw the man in a robe in the room where well-wishers were paying their last respects to the deceased.

They say the attacker injured the president's hand in the knife attack before being stopped by one of the mourners.

President Azali came to power in 1999 through a military coup.

After being out of office for a decade, he won a disputed election in 2016 and was re-elected last January.

The vote was marred by allegations of electoral fraud and two days of deadly protests followed.

Mr Azali is accused of growing authoritarianism.

From 2023 to 2024 he was President of the African Union.