State of Anjouan
State of Anjouan État d’Anjouan | |||||||||||
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| 1997–2008 | |||||||||||
| Status |
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| Capital | Mutsamudu | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Comorian (Shikomori), French, Arabic | ||||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||||
| Government | Unitary presidential republic
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| President | |||||||||||
• 1997–1999 | Foundi Abdallah Ibrahim | ||||||||||
• 1999–2001 | Said Abeid | ||||||||||
• 2001–2008 | Mohamed Bacar | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| 26 October 1997 | |||||||||||
• Coup d'état by Mohamed Bacar | 9 August 2001 | ||||||||||
| 25 March 2008 | |||||||||||
| Currency | Comorian franc | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||||
The State of Anjouan (French: État d’Anjouan; Ndzwani Comorian: Ndzwani) was an unrecognized country that existed on the island of Anjouan, part of the Comoros archipelago, during two main periods between 1997 and 2008. Although it exercised de facto control over the island and maintained its own political institutions, the State of Anjouan was never recognized by any sovereign state or international organization and was regarded under international law as part of the Union of the Comoros.
After a dispute with the Comorian government in 2007, the African Union, backed by France, Libya, and the United States, launched an invasion of Anjouan in March 2008, which resulted in the overthrow of Mohamed Bacar and the reintegration of Anjouan into the Union of the Comoros. Bacar managed to escape to Mayotte by speedboat dressed as a woman, and reports on March 26 confirmed his presence on the island and stated he had requested political asylum in France. Bacar was later captured and put on trial for illegally entering French territory.