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Assoumani first came to power in a coup in 1999 and has since been in and out of office, serving as president for 10 of the past 20 years. He won elections in 2002 and 2016.
According to Interior Minister Mohamed Daoudou, the soldiers who had been jailed for plotting a coup last year had escaped from prison on Thursday morning and had gone to the army base in a bid to convince other troops to support them.
Fayssoil Abdoussalam, an army major who is claimed to be the mastermind of the plan, was among the three who were killed in the shootout, reported Reuters.
“Fayssoil tried to rally the troops to his cause but they didn’t join him,” Daoudou told reporters.
Assoumani was declared the winner in Sunday’s election with more than 60 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a second-roundof voting. The opposition said it did not recognize the result, alleging widespread fraud.
Even observers from the African Union, the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa and the African Standby Forces of the East said Sunday’s election was riddled with irregularities that led them to conclude that the polls lacked credibility or transparency.
The recent political unrest has prompted the U.S. State Department in Comoros to urge Americans to reconsider traveling to the Indian Ocean island nation. The State Department has issued a new Level 3 Travel Advisory for the Union of the Comoro islands.
“‘Comoros is experiencing armed conflict, roadblocks, and protests following a contested election. Comorian officials have responded to demonstrations with force,” the State Department’s advisory ‘Reconsider Travel’ advisory effective March 29, 2019, read.
