The Comoro Islands may not have obtained the amount of aid they expected but all those who took part in the backers? conference last week agreed that the 200 million dollars (Rs 6 billion) is a huge step ahead. ?This conference was a real success. We are also waiting for other donors to confirm their commitment,? said Assoumani Aeali, the Comorian president. Mauritius welcomed the conference where many countries promised to help the archipelago out of its socio-economic crisis. France was the first donor country with Rs 2.3 billion while Mauritius has promised Rs 30 million.

In view of the difficult situation the archipelago has been facing during the past years, such a conference appeared crucial to its future development. It was organised under the aegis of the African Union and chaired by South Africa and Mauritius. ?Commitments made by Comorian leaders show that instability now belongs to the past. Donations offered during the conference are based on confidence in this leadership,? declared the South African president, Thabo M?beki. Therefore, this appeared as the right moment to assist the Comoros in their efforts towards reconstruction before the next presidential elections scheduled for April 2006.

The Comoros is now quite stable but it has faced quite a few political and economic crises before. Since the archipelago voted for independence in 1974 (except for Maore that chose to remain under French administration), the country has not really achieved stability. Different leaders have come to power through coups d?état. It is only with national reconciliation between the islands of the archipelago ? Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Moheli), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Maore (Mayotte) ? in 2003 that the political situation has quietened down.

But this instability has had a negative impact on the economy of the archipelago and its effects can still be felt. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been negative for more than twenty years and decreases in the price of vanilla have not helped matters. All this has led the country to rank 132nd out of 177 countries in the World Report on Human Development. Moreover, the Comoros are victims of ecological problems such as the eruption of the Karthala volcano, which deprived 120,000 people of drinking water.

Thanks to this conference, the archipelago is said to be at a crossroads. ?We are convinced that your precious and generous contributions will help the Comoros to inaugurate the beginning of a new era full of stability, progress and prosperity? said Assoumani Aeali.

Movement towards a constitutional state where democracy and human rights would be the keywords has started and the international community wants to play an integral part in this change. But its will only be possible with economic development. Hence, the Comorian government intends to use the money obtained from the conference to strengthen infrastructure, improve basic services, alleviate poverty and create appropriate conditions for the economic development of the country. Let in hope that all these promises will be translated into reality?