The president of Comoros was 'slightly injured' in a knife attack, his office says

The president of the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros was "slightly injured" in a knife attack while attending the funeral of a religious leader on Friday, his office said.

President Azali Assoumani's injuries were not serious and he had returned to his home, his office said in a statement. It said the attacker was arrested by security forces and is in their custody, but gave no details on the attacker's identity or any more information on the circumstances of the attack.

Government minister Aboubacar Said Anli said Saturday that a civilian was also injured during the attack while attempting to protect the president.

Assoumani was reelected as president of Comoros in January in a vote denounced by opposition parties as fraudulent. At least one person died in unrest following the election. Assoumani, 65, is a former military leader who first came to power in Comoros in a coup in 1999.

The country, which is made up of an archipelago of islands off the east coast of Africa , has experienced more than a dozen coups or attempted coups since its independence from France in 1975.

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