Ali Soilih
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Ali Soilih, full name Ali Soilih Mtsashiwa, (January 7, 1937 – May 29, 1978) was a Comorian socialist revolutionary and political figure.
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[edit] Biography
Soilih was born in Majunga, Madagascar. He lived much of his early life there, and was educated in Madagascar and France. During the early 1960s he went to Comoros and worked in agriculture and economic development.
[edit] Rise to power
In 1970 Ali Soilih entered politics as a supporter of Said Ibrahim, leader of the Democratic Assembly of the Comoran People, Rassemblement démocratique du Peuple Comorien (RDPC),[1] and soon developed an ideology based on hostility against France as former colonial power. His ideas were somewhat influenced by Maoism but without renouncing his Islamic principles.[2]
Less than a month after Comoros gained independence from France, Soilih overthrew President Said Mohamed Jaffar and became head of a revolutionary council which took over Comoros. This occurred on August 3, 1975 when Soilih, whose adherents were barely armed, hired French mercenary Bob Denard to overthrow Abdallah. Soilih officially became President of the revolutionary council in January 1976. He adopted extended powers under the terms of a new constitution,[3] and implemented socialist economic policies. In 1977 he held a referendum on his presidency, with 56.63% of voters endorsing it.
[edit] Revolutionary program
Soilih embarked on a revolutionary program that was mainly directed against the traditional Muslim society of the country. His vision, based on a mixture of Maoist and Islamic philosophies, was to develop the Comoros as an economically self-sufficient and ideologically progressive Islamic modern state.
Condemned as wasteful and cumbersome, certain inherited customs of Comorian culture were abolished, like the 'Anda', the traditional "grand marriage",[4] as well as traditional funerary ceremonies, criticized as being too costly. Soilih advanced the cause of the youth by discouraging the study of history and allowing young people to take more power. In order to reach his goal the voting age was lowered to fourteen and teenagers were put in positions of responsibility. Among the most striking of his reforms were some measures designed to gain the favor of the youth, like the legalization of cannabis and promoting the removal of the veil among the women of Comoros.[5]
Soilih created the 'Moissy', a young revolutionary militia trained by Tanzanian military advisers. The Moissy was a Comorian version of Mao Zedong's Red Guards and their methods were similar to those that had been employed by their Chinese counterpart during the Cultural Revolution.[6] Moissy units terrorised villages and specialized in violent attacks against conservative elders, formerly revered old men.[7]
[edit] Consequences
As a result of Soilih's confrontational policies, France, the former colonial power in the islands, terminated all its aid and technical assistance programs to Comoros. The teenage Moissy were perceived as a repressive political police, and their intimidation tactics and often random and chaotic activity caused widespread resentment among the Comorian population. Their humiliation at the hands of the Moissy and the undermining of their authority alienated the traditional leaders of the Comoros who resented the progressive elimination of age-old traditions. Growing discontent promoted by the political opposition resulted in four unsuccessful coup attempts against the Soilih regime during its two and a half-year existence.[8]
On May 13, 1978, Soilih was finally overthrown by a fifty-member European mercenary unit, hired by exiled former leader Ahmed Abdallah in France and led by French Colonel Bob Denard. After Abdallah took over, Soilih's policies were reversed and the name of the country was changed to "Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros",[9] Abdallah became president, and Soilih was soon assassinated by Abdallah's supporters.
[edit] Aftermath
More than a decade later, in 1989, Soilih's older half-brother, Said Mohamed Djohar, overthrew Abdallah, possibly with the help of Denard. He served as president of Comoros until 1996.
The effects of the social policies of Ali Soilih are still apparent in the Comoros, particularly on Anjouan.[10]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ LOC - Comoros, The Break with France
- ^ Histoire des Comores; Ali Soilih
- ^ The Europa World Year Book, V1 Taylor & Francis Group
- ^ Le Anda, Grand Mariage comorien sous Ali Soilih
- ^ Transition, 73 - The Mercenary Position
- ^ LOC - Comoros, The Soilih Regime
- ^ Al Hakawati, Comoros
- ^ LOC - Comoros, Security Concerns
- ^ The secessionist Crisis in the Comoros Islands
- ^ The Guardian, Another day, another coup
[edit] External links
- World statesmen - Comoros
- Yosy & Tom Cooper, with additional details from Manuel Ferreira (SADF, Comoro Islands, since 1975
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