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One person has been killed and five others injured during violent clashes between security forces and demonstrators on the Comorian island of Anjouan.
The public prosecutor’s office in Mutsamudu confirmed the casualties occurred in the Mpage region as public anger over dramatic fuel price increases continues to intensify across the archipelago.
The local judiciary has officially launched an investigation to uncover the exact circumstances surrounding the fatality.
The immediate violence erupted following a tense meeting between the mayor of Mirontsy and a local fishermen’s association, which had been striking for several days.
In response to the breakdown of talks, angry demonstrators blocked major roads with stones across Anjouan’s capital city of Mutsamudu.
This localised unrest is part of a larger nationwide strike that began earlier in the week after the government aggressively raised diesel prices by 46 per cent and gasoline by 35 per cent, citing the economic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The wider economic strike has effectively paralysed public transit and commercial activity in the national capital of Moroni, where transport operators and shopkeepers have shut down operations.
According to the National Human Rights Commission, law enforcement has already detained at least 39 individuals since the demonstrations began.
In a desperate bid to defuse mounting public hostility, the government has announced austerity measures, including curbs on official state travel and a 40 per cent reduction in customs duties.
