CM/Res. 453 (XXVI)
RESOLUTION ON THE REPUBLIC OF COMORO
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity, meeting in its Twenty- Sixth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 23 February to 1 March 1976,
Noting with satisfaction, the unanimous admission of the Republic of Comoro as a Member of the OAU on 18 July 1975,
Taking note of the message from the OAU current Chairman to the UN Secretary- General condemning the referendum imposed on Mayotte by France,
Recalling that all the people of the Republic of Comoro expressed, through the referendum of 22 December 1974, with an overwhelming majority, the desire to accede to independence,
Considering that the referendum illegally imposed on the inhabitants of Mayotte constitutes an aggression against all the Comorian people and a violation of its territorial integrity,
Considering that this aggressive attitude adopted by the French towards the Island of Mayotte constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of the United Nations and the Non- Aligned countries to consider the Indian Ocean as a Peace Zone,
Considering that the establishment of military bases in the Indian Ocean by France and the other powers constitutes a flagrant aggression against the independent States of Africa and Asia,
STRONGLY CONDEMNS the referendum of 8 February 1976 which it considers null and void, and rejects in advance any referendum or any other consultations that may be held in future;
CATEGORICALLY REJECTS France’s presence in Mayotte which constitutes an act of aggression and which jeopardizes the national unity, territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the independent Republic of Comoro as well as the independence and security of Africa as a whole;
DEMANDS that the French Government withdraw immediately from the Islands of Mayotte, an integral part of the independent Republic of Comoro and respect the sovereignty of the new State.
CALLS ON the Chairman of the OAU Council of Ministers and the African Group at the United Nations to inform immediately the UN Secretary-General of OAU’s concern over the present aggression against the State of Comoro and to call for an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the matter;
URGES all OAU Member States to give effective assistance, individually and collectively, and to co-operate in all spheres with the Republic of Comoro to enable it defend and safeguard its independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty;
ALSO INVITES the Non-Aligned countries, the Arab League countries, and the Islamic Conference to grant all necessary assistance to the Comoro Government to enable it to overcome its difficulties;
REQUESTS the Chairman of the OAU Council of Minister and the OAU Secretary-General to follow closely the development of events in Comoro and keep Member States informed with a view to taking the necessary measures until the Comoro question is finally settled to the best interests of the people of Comoro.