Comoros: The Search for Viability

The Comoros archipelago has had a troubled political history with territorial division at independence and, for the state of Comoros, repeated coups and a recent attempted secession. The article analyses the structural and contingent factors behind the susceptibility to conflict. It finds that the political and economic weaknesses that provoke conflict remain unaddressed and that these have been exacerbated by a failure of governance by government and civil society. Consequently, Comoros has failed to achieve viability and with it stability. The conclusion asks whether state viability in the western sense can be achieved or whether a hybrid form of governance should be supported. Currently the unresolved post-conflict issues look likely to spark further political crises and possibly violence.