Confusion over administrative control between government departments in the Comoros is hampering the implementation of humanitarian programmes, aid officials told IRIN on Tuesday. "We need some kind of interface with the Union [the central authority]. At the moment we are unsure who is responsible for which social service. These roles have never been defined. All this confusion only makes our work more difficult," said Kalula Kalambay, the UN Development Programme spokesman in the capital, Moroni. Since the introduction of a new constitution earlier this year, which granted the islands of Moheli, Anjouan and Grande Comore their own federal presidents, a political tussle has ensued over how the separation of powers between the federal presidents and the Union president would work. "Fortunately, our work is not dependant on government bureaucracy. We have managed to continue without much difficulty. We cannot, however, contribute to a national policy because we do not know who is responsible for certain services. This is probably a lot more difficult for the country's bilateral partners," said the UN Children's Fund Assistant Representative Aloys Kamuragiye. The International Monetary Fund last month said it would be impossible to draw up an economic programme for the archipelago in the short term, until the current political situation was clarified. Under the devolution process, the islands govern most of their own affairs with their own presidents. Overall, Union President Azali Assoumani's government in Moroni controls defence, foreign affairs and currency. But the power-sharing agreement, intended to bring stability to the coup-prone archipelago, has not gone unchallenged. The current political stand-off began in June after newly elected Grand Comore President Abdou Soule Elbak and Assoumani could not agree on how they would share rule of the island. Last month, demonstrators protested against Azali's perceived grip on political power. The local newspaper, Al Watwan, reported that soldiers had used live ammunition to disperse the demonstration in Moroni. Three people were injured in the fracas.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
