Residents on the Comoros island of Anjouan slowly returned to their daily lives Sunday after a six-day seige in the old quarter of Mutsamudu city where soldiers had fought with rebels down narrow lanes. The island's governor Abdou Salami Abdou, a member of the opposition Juwa party, surrendered to the police, but denied any links to the armed rebels.
"I challenge anyone to prove my involvement," Abdou, a fierce critic of President Azali Assoumani, told AFP, adding that peaceful protests against the Comoros government had been infiltrated by militants. The army said it had regained control of the medina quarter on Saturday in the latest bout of instability to rock the coup-prone Indian Ocean archipelago. At least three people were killed in a week of violence.
Anjouan's port re-opened Sunday after being closed for several days. Soldiers searched homes for suspected rebels, but no arrests were reported. Supermarket owner Mohamed Adinane said he had come "to check the condition of my store, to see if there were any breakages." "I found expired products because of the power cuts," he said, explaining he had lost a lot of money. "It's a shame but what can we do?"
Military checkpoints were still in place around the medina and most streets were deserted. Stones and teargas cannisters littered the ground after the week of clashes.