Combo Ayouba, also referred to as Ayouba Combo, (c. 1952 – June 13, 2010) was a Comorian

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and senior member of the

Military of Comoros The Comoros, Comorian Armed Forces (french: Armée nationale de développement; ) consist of a small standing army and a 500-member police force, as well as a 500-member defense force. A defense treaty with France provides naval resources for prote ...

. He was one of the highest-ranking military officers in the

Comoros The Comoros,, ' officially the Union of the Comoros,; ar, الاتحاد القمري ' is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It ...

at the time of his

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

in 2010.

Biography

Ayouba was born on the island of

Anjouan Anjouan (; also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and historically as Johanna or Hinzuan) is an autonomous high island in the Indian Ocean that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. Its chief town is Mutsamudu and, , its population is around 277,500. ...

, which was a French colony at the time. He initially worked as a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

. However, he was trained as a presidential guard by the French

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

Bob Denard Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary. He served as the Military Leader of The Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again ...

, during the 1980s. On September 28, 1995, Bob Denard led his fourth

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

against the Comoran government. The coup, which Denard called Operation Kaskari, ousted President

Said Mohamed Djohar Said Mohammed Djohar ( ar, سعيد محمد جوهر 22 August 1918 – 22 February 2006) was a Comorian politician who served as the 4th President of the Comoros from 1989 to 1995. Climb to power Born in Majunga, Madagascar, Djohar was ...

, who was imprisoned in the

military barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

. Colonel Ayouba became the Coordinator of the Transitional Military Committee, or head of state of the Comoros from September 29 until October 2, 1995, when the French military ousted Denard, Ayouba and their allies during

Operation Azalee Operation Azalee was an expedition staged by France – involving its armed forces and special forces – which took place in 1995 to remove the provisional government of the Comoros that was led and put into power by famed French mercenar ...

. Ayouba was shot and killed at his home in Moroni on June 13, 2010. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Comoros at the time, and one of the few remaining officers who had been by Bob Denard. Ayouba's killing was condemned by the

French Foreign Ministry The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Qu ...

, which issued a statement saying it "hopes that those responsible for this killing will be identified and be brought to justice." The Comoran government deployed security forces to important government buildings throughout the capital, Moroni, following Ayouba's death. Schools and stores were closed throughout the country following the assassination. A demonstration by youths from Anjouan demanding the prosecution of Ayouba's killing was dispersed outside the Treasury building and courthouse. Ayouba and other key Comoran public figures, including General Salimou Amiri, President

Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi Sayyid Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi ( ar, أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي, born 5 June 1958) is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the ...

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

, reportedly received letters containing death threats in the months prior to Ayouba's killing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayouba, Combo Year of birth unknown Ayouba, Combo 2010 deaths Comorian military personnel Heads of state of the Comoros People murdered in the Comoros Assassinated Comorian people Assassinated military personnel People from Anjouan Deaths by firearm in the Comoros