President Mbeki Regrets Military Action in Comoros

South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday he regretted there had been fighting on the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros as political measures were in place to resolve the conflict.

African Union (AU) forces backed the Comoros’ National Development Army as it attacked early Monday to regain control of the rebel-held Comoros island of Anjouan.

The army said the rebel force had been defeated and its leader was now on the run.

“It seems to us that there was no need to deploy any military forces as the government of the Comoros had undertaken to rerun the elections in May,” Mbeki said.

South Africa had sent a message to AU chair and Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, calling for a peaceful resolution of the problem.

In Moroni, the Comoros capital, the army confirmed that rebel leader Mohamed Bacar had escaped from them.

Bacar is a French-trained former gendarme who seized power in 2001 and clung on to power after an illegal election last year.

Source African Press Agency

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