Ali Soilih was a Comorian president who attempted to transform his newly independent country through a radical socialist revolution. He challenged French influence, traditional Muslim customs and the authority of established elites. His policies won support among sections of the younger generation but also generated fierce opposition. In May 1978, a French-backed coup led by French mercenary Bob Denard overthrew him. Sixteen days later, Soilih was dead.
Ali Soilih M’Tsashiwa was born in Majunga, Madagascar, on January 7, 1937. He was educated in Madagascar and France before moving to the Comoros in the early 1960s, where he worked in agriculture and economic development.
He was elected to the National Assembly in 1967 and later became a supporter of Prince Said Ibrahim, a prominent Comorian politician who headed the government under French rule. Soilih eventually served as minister of equipment and tourism in Ibrahim’s government.
During these years, Soilih developed a strong opposition to French influence, which he saw as a continuation of colonial control. He embraced socialist ideas and increasingly challenged the influence of Islam and traditional religious authorities in Comorian society. When the Comoros gained independence from France on July 6, 1975, Ahmed Abdallah became the country’s first president.
Less than a month later, on August 3, 1975, Soilih helped overthrow Abdallah and took control of a revolutionary council. The coup was carried out with the assistance of French mercenary and coup specialist Gilbert Bourgeaud, better known as Bob Denard, who would later become one of Soilih’s enemies. In January 1976, Soilih formally became president of the revolutionary council and began consolidating power around his revolutionary government.
The Revolutionary Program
Soilih wanted to transform Comoros into a self-sufficient and modern state, and his revolution went far beyond changing the country’s political system. Influenced by socialism and Maoism, he sought to weaken the traditional political, religious and social structures that he believed were holding Comorian society back. His government therefore began targeting customs and institutions that had been central to life in the predominantly Muslim country.
Among the practices targeted was the Anda, or traditional grand marriage, which could place a heavy financial burden on families. Traditional funeral ceremonies were also criticized for being unnecessarily expensive.
Soilih also challenged the authority of religious leaders and promoted a more secular society, including encouraging women to remove the veil. These measures were intended to create a society based on his vision of a modern and progressive Comoros, but they also brought his government into direct conflict with people who viewed the changes as an attack on their traditions and religious identity.
Young people were also given an important role in the revolution through organizations and militias. The most prominent was the Moissy, a youth militia trained with assistance from Tanzanian military advisers and modeled partly on Mao Zedong’s Red Guards. The organization became one of the most visible symbols of his attempt to use the younger generation to reshape Comorian society.
In April 1977, Soilih’s government introduced a new constitution that established Comoros as a democratic, secular and social republic. It reorganized the state around revolutionary institutions and local popular committees, giving the government a framework for pursuing its broader social and political reforms.
The reforms, however, created growing resistance from traditional leaders and religious groups who viewed them as an attack on Comorian customs and Islam. Political opposition intensified, and several attempts were made to overthrow Soilih during his relatively short time in power.
His revolutionary policies also brought him into increasing conflict with France. The issue of Mayotte was already a major source of tension because France had retained control of the island after Comorian independence.
Soilih’s hostility toward French influence, combined with his socialist policies and attempts to distance Comoros from its former colonial power, further strained relations between Paris and Moroni. By early 1978, his government faced growing opposition at home and increasingly hostile relations with France.
The French-backed coup
On October 28, 1977, Soilih held a referendum on his presidency. Reports at the time put support for his continued rule at roughly 55 percent of voters. His government, however, remained vulnerable to opposition from both inside and outside the country.
On May 13, 1978, Bob Denard, the French coup specialist, returned to the Comoros with about 50 European mercenaries, most of them former French paratroopers. The operation was not simply an isolated mercenary adventure. A report in Le Monde found that the expedition’s weapons and supplies had been loaded at Lorient, France, on a vessel officially presented as being on a scientific mission.
The newspaper reported that the mission was financed by a French bank and benefited from discreet assistance in the Comorian capital Moroni. Bob Denard later maintained that the operation had been covered by the SDECE, France’s external intelligence service, in coordination with the Élysée and its African affairs cell. A later academic study published by Sciences Po also describes the 1978 operation as having received support from Paris.
Denard’s force quickly seized control of the country. Soilih was overthrown, Ahmed Abdallah returned to power, and the revolutionary program was dismantled. The country was subsequently reorganized as the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros.
After the coup, Soilih was placed under house arrest. Sixteen days later, on May 29, 1978, he was shot and killed at the age of 41. The new government said he was killed while attempting to escape, but reports from the time questioned that account, noting that he was under heavy guard. The circumstances surrounding his death have therefore remained disputed.
The change in government also brought a rapid improvement in relations with France. By July 1978, France and the Comoros had restored diplomatic relations, while French military cooperation with Abdallah’s government was developing.
Abdallah remained president until his assassination in November 1989, ruling for more than 11 years. During much of his rule, Bob Denard remained closely involved in the country, helping to organize and control its security forces and maintaining considerable influence around the presidency.
Ali Soilih’s government lasted only about two and a half years, but his attempt to remake Comorian society remains a significant episode in the history of postcolonial Africa. His overthrow also demonstrated the continuing influence France could exercise in a former colony, where a French mercenary force could remove a president whose government had moved sharply away from French political influence.
Sources:
https://countrystudies.us/comoros/5.htm
https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1978/05/31/des-mercenaires-diriges-par-bob-denard-auraient-participe-au-coup-d-etat-aux-comores_2980926_1819218.html
https://tsingy.univ-reunion.fr/656?lang=fr
https://digitallibrary.un.org/nanna/record/16003/files/S_14211-EN.pdf?withWatermark=0&withMetadata=0®isterDownload=1&version=1
