Comorians mark Maoré Day, reaffirming unity and claim to Mayotte
Ceremonies in Moroni and France on Thursday reasserted the archipelago's unity and its sovereignty claim over Mayotte, a French-administered island.
The national Maoré Day was marked on Thursday, 12 November 2026, in Comoros and in France. In Moroni, several hundred people, including many schoolchildren from the capital and from Bambao and Itsandra, gathered at the Palais du Peuple for the official ceremony, organised by the Comité Maoré with the Comorian government.
The programme drew members of national institutions, diplomats, civil society figures and delegations from the archipelago's islands. Milissane Hamdia, vice-president of the Union Assembly, and Monjoin Mohamed, president of the Comité Maoré, both spoke of the need to preserve national unity, with Comorian flags, patriotic songs and speeches marking the day.
Celebrations began on 11 November with a poetry vigil and traditional performances. In La Courneuve, near Paris, the town hall held its own ceremony, attended by mayor Aly Diouara, Comorian ambassador to France Ahamada Hamadi and the Comoros' permanent representative to UNESCO, Kassim Mohamed-Soyir Bajrafil.
Why it mattersComorian families abroad, who keep close ties to the four islands, saw the cause of Mayotte restated by officials in France itself on the day.