Mohéli

Mohéli[mɔ.e.li],also known asMwali,is an autonomously-governed island that forms part of theUnion of the Comoros.It is the smallestof the three major islands in the country. It is located in theIndian Oceanoff the coast ofAfricaand it is the smallest of the four majorComoro Islands.Its capital and largest city isFomboni.

Mohéli Île Autonome de Mohéli Mwali جزيرة موهيلي المتمتعة بالحكم الذاتي
Autonomous Island of theUnion of the Comoros
Autonomous Island of Mohéli
Flag
Mohéli is the lowermost shown of theComorosislands.
Mohéli in the Comoros
Country	Comoros
Capital	Fomboni
Government
• Type	Autonomous Islandwithin afederalpresidential republic
•Governor	Chamina Ben Mohamed
Area
• Total	211 km2(81 sq mi)
Elevation	790 m (2,590 ft)
Population (2003)
• Total	35,400
• Estimate (2006)	38,000
• Density	170/km2(430/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+03:00(EAT)

History

Map of Mohéli.

Postage stamps were issued for Mohéli briefly under French rule; this two-centimevalue dates from 1906.

Until 1830, Mohéli was part of theNdzuwaniSultanate, which also controlled the neighbouring island ofAnjouan.In 1830, migrants fromMadagascarled byRamanetaka,who later changed his name to Abderemane, took over the island and established the sultanate of Mwali. In the mid-nineteenth century its ruler wasQueen Jumbe-Souli.In 1886,Francemade the island a protectorate.

Until 1889, Mwali had its own Frenchresident,but the island was then subjugated to the residency of Anjouan. The sultanate was dismantled in 1909 following the French annexation of the island. French colonial stamps bearing the inscription "Mohéli" were circulated between 1906 and 1912.

Comoros

In 1975, Mohéli agreed to join the Comoros nation, along withGrande Comoreand Anjouan. Political, economic and social turmoil affected Mohéli and the Comoros in general.

Independence

On 11 August 1997, Mohéli seceded from the Comoros, a week after Anjouan. Mohéli's secessionist leaders wereSaid Mohamed Soefuwho becamepresident,andSoidri Ahmed,who becameprime minister.

Rejoining Comoros

Mohéli rejoined Comoros in 1998. In 2002, Mohéli ratified the new Comorian constitution, which provided for a less centralized federal government and more power to the island governments. It helped settle continuing political turmoil on Comoros and continuing secessionism on Anjouan. The same year,Mohamed Said Fazulwas elected president. His supporters won most seats in Mohéli's delegation to Parliament in the legislative elections of 2004.

Politics

Mohamed Said Fazulwas electedpresident of Mohéliin 2002 againstMohamed Hassanaly.

Thelegislative assemblyof the autonomous island of Moheli has ten seats and was elected on 14 and 21 March 2004. Nine seats were won by the supporters of Said Mohamed Fazul and the last by a supporter ofAzali Assoumani.In 2007,Mohamed Ali Saidwas elected president of the autonomous island of Moheli (currently president instead of governor) against Said Mohamed Fazul.

After shortening his two-year term, which was to end in 2012, due to problems with theelectoralcalendar, Mohamed Ali Said was re-elected governor of the autonomous island of Moheli in December 2010 against the presidential majoritycandidateSaid Ali Hilali.The election of the island's councillors was won by an absolute majority by Mohamed Ali Said's camp.

Following the legislative and communal elections held in 2015, it wasGovernorMohamed Ali Said's party that won the majority in the island assembly, allying with the councillors (equivalent to deputies at the national level) of those of President Ikililou's supporters and related parties (UPDC party).

In May 2016, following the island governors'elections,it was Mohamed Said Fazul who won against President Ikililou's wife (Hadidja Dhoinine) in the 5-year governorship elections. It is therefore the second time he takes the reins of the island of Moheli.

As a reminder, at the national level, it is the former president (2002-2006)Azali Assoumaniwho won the elections beforeMohamed Ali Soilih.This is his second term (2016-2021) as President of theUnion of the Comoros.

Population

Mohéli's population, as of 2006,is about 38,000. Its main ethnic group, as on the other Comoros islandsGrande ComoreandAnjouanas well as the French territoryMayotte,is the Comorian ethnic group, a synthesis ofBantu,Arab,MalayandMalagasy culture,and the main religion isSunni Islam.

Environment

Sable Beach, Mohéli

Protected areas

On 19 April 2001, the first protected area in this country –Mohéli Marine Park– was gazetted.This was the culmination of a unique process by which the local communities in the ten villages around the park boundaries negotiated a collaborative arrangement with the government for the establishment and management of the park. The marine park programme was among the 27 finalists selected from nearly 500 nominations by the Equator Initiative, a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), IUCN, the UN Foundation and four other international groups, to promote community-based initiatives aimed at furthering sustainable development. The marine park was redesignatedMohéli National Parkin 2010, and in 2015 was expanded to include approximately three-quarters of the island's land area.

Important Bird Area

A 6,268 ha tract encompassing the highlands of the interior of the western part of the island, including Mount Mlédjélé, has been designated anImportant Bird Area(IBA) byBirdLife Internationalbecause it supports populations ofComoro olive pigeons,Comoro blue pigeons,tropical shearwaters,Moheli scops owls,Malagasy harriers,Moheli brush warblers,Moheli bulbuls,Comoro thrushes,Humblot's sunbirdsandred-headed fodies.

Satellite imagery of Mohéli, 2022.

Flags

Main article:Flag of Mohéli

Airport

Mohéli Bandar Es Eslam Airportbetween the villages of Fomboni and Djoièzi on the north coast of the island is the only airport on Mohéli.

See also

• Comoros