Ahmed Abdallah
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Ahmed Abdallah Abderamane (June 12, 1919 – November 26, 1989) was a leader in the Comoros.
Abdallah was born in Dimoni, on the island of Anjouan. He began participating in government in the 1940s, and soon became one of the most important non-French political figures in the Comoros, which was a French colony at that time. He was the President of the general council from 1949 until 1953.
During the 1960s, the Comoros received more autonomy. Abdallah was the chairman of the chamber of deputies during 1970. In 1972 Abdallah, now leader of his political party, the conservative Union Démocratique des Comores (Comoros Democratic Union) (UDC), became president of the government council and chief minister of the Comoros, serving in that position until July 6, 1975, when the islands became independent from France, with the acception of Mayatte, which refused to become independent. Abdallah became the first president of the independent islands, but lasted only a month, as he was overthrown in a military coup by the French mercenary Bob Denard on August 3, 1975.
In 1978, however, Denard overthrew the socialist government of Ali Soilih, which he had helped to set up, had Soilih killed, and became an ally of Abdallah, who had returned to power by the end of the year.
Abdallah served as President from 1978 until 1989. His rule was autocratic, but many believe that Denard, not Abdallah, was the real ruler of the country. In 1982 Abdallah had the UDC and all other parties abolished, and a new party, the UCP (Union Comorienne pour le Progres) (Comorian Union for Progress), was set up. Comoros became a one-party state, with the UCP being the only legal party. On November 26, 1989, Abdallah was killed in the capital, Moroni, during a military coup led by Ali Soilih's half-brother, Said Mohamed Djohar, and possibly by Bob Denard. Djohar took control of the country the next day and abolished Abdallah's one-party state.