Ali Soilih

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Ali Soilih (born January 7, 1937 in Majunga (now Mahajanga), Madagascar , † May 29, 1978 ) was head of state of the Comoros from 1975 to 1978 .

Early years

He grew up in Madagascar and was educated there and in France . During the early 1960s he went to the Comoros and worked on agricultural projects there. He went into politics at this time and became a supporter of Maoism .

head of state

Less than a month after the Comoros gained independence from France, Soilih carried out a coup on August 3, 1975 against President Ahmed Abdallah . He and his barely armed followers were assisted by mercenaries led by Bob Denard , whom Soilih had hired. After the successful coup he became chairman of a revolutionary committee that took control of the Comoros.

He officially became President of the Revolutionary Committee in January 1976. He introduced socialist economic planning, which resulted in France stopping its aid. He also tried to transform the Comorian culture into a utopian society. He strengthened the position of young people, the more difficult study of the history and legalized cannabis . The effects of this policy can still be felt today, especially in Anjouan . The SDECE therefore wanted to replace him with ex-President Ahmed Abdallah.

On May 13, 1978, Soilih was ousted by Denard in a coup presumably paid for by the SDECE . Subsequently, Abdallah became president and Soilih was killed a short time later by supporters of Abdallah. Soilih's older half-brother Said Mohamed Djohar led a coup d'état against President Abdallah in 1989, perhaps with Denard's help, in which he was assassinated, and served as President of the Comoros until 1996.