Saidi Abdallah bin Salim

Saidi Abdallah bin Salim or Abdallah III is the last true sultan of the island Anjouan with the the Comoros. It seizes the power in 1855, old of 18 or 19 years, after the death of his father Salim bin Alawi and dies the February 3rd 1891.

During its reign, it will see its island passing from the English influence to the Protectorat French. Regarded as intelligent and lit by Europeans who attended it, it tries at the beginning of its reign to modernize the government and to humanize justice. Without much success: the aristocrats educated like him with Port-Louis, accustomed to an idle existence, are not to him great help.

Very influenced at its beginnings by the English grower Sunley, it quickly takes shade of the influence of this one and founds, to compete with it, in 1864, the plantation of Bambao. But this one will be put in difficulty when it gets rid of its associate Mauritian.

Starting from 1866, taken out of clipper, it ends up accepting French protectorate to escape the agreements made with the English. It does not carry out of it less one passive resistance to the French incursion, opposing an end not to receive with the will of the colonial power to install a permanent resident on the island. It will be necessary that the navy invests the citadel and occupies Mutsamudu so that the sultan, of fear to be deposited and to see his brothers benefitting from his weakness, agrees to negotiate. Always reticent, it is cut off then in Bambao, leaving the resident in insulation, and will prevent by its attitude the reinforcement of protectorate.

See too

History of the Comoros

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