Territoire des Comores
Overseas territory of France
Flag of Territory of the Comoros
Flag of the Territory of the Comoros
 • TypeFrench overseas territory
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies
Mayotte
Comoros

The Territory of the Comoros (French: Territoire des Comores) was a French overseas territory consisting of the four main Comoro Islands (Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan and Mayotte) that existed from 1946 to 1975. It was part of the French Union under the Fourth Republic, then part of the French Community established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic from 1958.

In 1975 , following a referendum, the territory was divided - the islands of Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan became independent under the new Union of the Comoros, while Mayotte voted to remain a French overseas territory, and later became the 101st French department in 2011.

History

Establishment

In June 1843, Mayotte became the first of the Comoro Islands to become a French colony. In the 1880s and 1890s, the three other islands - Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli - became French protectorates in 1886, 1887 and 1892, respectively In 1912, these three islands became colonies as well.[1]

Between 1912 and 1946, all four islands were governed with Madagascar as the Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies.[2]

In 1946, the Comoros archipelago became a French overseas territory[3] with its capital in Dzaoudzi, Mayotte.[4][5] The Territorial Assembly of the Comoros was founded, with representatives from all four islands.[6]

1950s and 1960s

In 1952, Comoros established its own customs regime.[7] In 1958, a referendum was held in which Comorans overwhelmingly voted in favour of remaining part of France. Following this referendum, a constitution providing for self-government was promulgated.[8]

In the 1960s, politics in the territory were largely dominated by descendants of the ruling families of the precolonial sultanate. This group was conservative and pro-French. In this period, two main political parties emerged - the Parti Vert (Green Party), later known as the Comoros Democratic Union , and the Parti Blanc (White Party), later known as the Democratic Assembly of the Comoran People.[9]

Dr. Said Mohamed Cheikh, president of the Parti Vert and of the Governing Council, was, until his death in 1970, the most important political leader in the islands. The Parti Blanc, under Prince Said Ibrahim, was in the opposition, supported progressive policies including land reform and weakening foreign monopoly on Comoran cash crops.[10]

Independence movement

In 1962, Comoran expatriates in Tanzania established the National Liberation Movement of Comoros (Mouvement de la Libération Nationale des Comores - MOLINACO).[11][12] Molinaco actively promoted Comoran independence abroad, especially in the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

An increasing number of Comorans, particularly younger ones, resentful about perceived French neglect of the islands, began to support independence. The ruling elite, although pro-French, began to view independence as a "regrettable necessity". In 1972, leaders of the Parti Vert and the Parti Blanc agreed to push for independence, while aspiring to maintain good relations with France.[13]

1974 Referendum

An independence referendum was held on December 22, 1974 in the four islands. Three of the islands voted for independence, but Mayotte chose to remain as a French department:

Island For independence Against independence Invalid

votes

 Total

votes

 Registered

voters

 Voter

Turnout %

Votes % Votes %
Anjouan 58,897 99.93 44 0.07 4 58,945 61,406 95.99
Grande Comore 84,123 99.98 21 0.02 39 84,183 89,215 94.36
Mayotte 5,110 36.78 8,783 63.22 84 13,977 17,946 77.88
Mohéli 6,054 99.92 5 0.08 3 6,062 6,351 95.45
Total 154,184 94.57 8,853 5.43 130 163,167 174,918 93.28
Source: African Elections Database[14]

Independence

In spite of a 1973 agreement with France that independence would be granted in 1973, the Comorian parliament passed a resolution on July 6, 1975 declaring unilateral independence.[15] The deputies of Mayotte abstained from the vote. The French government recognised the independence of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli on 31 December 1975, but did not mention Mayotte. A referendum was subsequently held in Mayotte in February 1976 on remaining part of the Comoros. The proposal was rejected by over 99% of voters, with voter turnout at 83.34%.[16]

Economy

The economy of the Comoro islands was dominated by the Société Comores Bambao, which managed the majority of the archipelago's arable land and possessed a monopoly on establishing all non-indigenous companies. By the 1960s, the Comoros were no longer food self-sufficient, as food represented 30% to 35% of all imports.

The French and local leading citizens established plantations to grow cash crops for export, and the economy was dominated by French companies such as Société Bambao and Établissements Grimaldi. These firms would divert most of their profits overseas, with little investment in the islands' development beyond what was needed for managing the plantations. A serious consequence of this approach has been the languishing of the food-crop agricultural sector and the resultant dependence on overseas food imports, particularly rice.

References

  1. ↑ étrangères, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires. "The Union of the Comoros and Mayotte". France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  2. ↑ André Bourde (May 1965). "The Comoro Islands: Problems of a Microcosm". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 3 (1): 91–102. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00004924. S2CID 154728193.
  3. ↑ under the Law of May 9, 1946
  4. ↑ "Comoros - French Colonization". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. A colonial administration took over the islands and established a capital at Dzaoudzi.
  5. ↑ "Mayotte". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  6. ↑ étrangères, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires. "The Union of the Comoros and Mayotte". France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  7. ↑ Metz, Helen Chapin (1995). Indian Ocean: five island countries (3rd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 150. ISBN 0-8444-0857-3.
  8. ↑ "Comoros - French Colonization". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. A constitution providing for internal self-government was promulgated in 1961, following a 1958 referendum in which Comorans voted overwhelmingly to remain a part of France.
  9. ↑ "Comoros - The Break with France". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. Politics in the 1960s were dominated by a social and economic elite--largely descendants of the precolonial sultanate ruling families--which was conservative and pro-French ... the Parti Vert (Green Party), which later became known as the Comoros Democratic Union ... and the Parti Blanc (White Party), later reconstituted as the Democratic Assembly of the Comoran People.
  10. ↑ "Comoros - The Break with France". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. Dr. Said Mohamed Cheikh, president of the Parti Vert and of the Governing Council, was, until his death in 1970, the most important political leader in the islands. The Parti Blanc, under Prince Said Ibrahim, provided the opposition, endorsing a progressive program that included land reform and a loosening of the monopoly on Comoran cash crops enjoyed by the foreign-owned plantation sociétés.
  11. ↑ Roberts, George. "MOLINACO, the Comorian Diaspora, and Decolonisation in East Africa's Indian Ocean" (PDF). The Journal of African History: 10. In late 1962, these Comorians ... secretly founded MOLINACO.
  12. ↑ "Comoros - The Break with France". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. The independence movement started not in the Comoro Islands but among Comoran expatriates in Tanzania, who founded the National Liberation Movement of Comoros (Mouvement de la Libération Nationale des Comores--Molinaco) in 1962.
  13. ↑ "Comoros - The Break with France". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2022-12-20. In 1972 leaders of the Parti Vert (now the UDC) and the Parti Blanc (now the RDPC) agreed to press for independence, hoping at the same time to maintain cordial relations with France.
  14. ↑ "Comoros Detailed Election Results". africanelections.tripod.com. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  15. ↑ Background Notes, Comoros. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Communication, Editorial Division. 1998. p. 3. Agreement was reached with France in 1973 for the Comoros to become independent in 1978. On July 6, 1975, however, the Comorian parliament passed a resolution declaring unilateral independence. The deputies of Mayotte abstained.
  16. ↑ Mayotte, 8 February 1976: Remaining in the Comoros Direct Democracy (in German)
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