Tear gas fired at mosques in Comoros

Security forces have fired tear gas at worshippers praying in mosques on the island of Anjouan, an autonomous island in the Indian Ocean that forms part of the Comoros.

According to police, those attending the mosques were violating the country’s coronavirus lockdown regulations by flouting social distancing rules.

Opposition politicians were quick to condemn the actions of the security forces after the incident on Saturday night.

Last week marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset, when they usually gather in groups to eat and pray.

According to the US State Department, roughly 98% of Comorians are Muslim.

The country’s president, Azali Assoumani, has imposed a nightly curfew in order to prevent any spread of the coronavirus, despite the country having no confirmed cases.

It remains just one of two countries across Africa that are yet to record a positive case of the virus, alongside Lesotho.

Photo: AFP