Washington, DC — There was a tense security situation, Thursday, following a military coup on the the Comoro island of Anjouan, part of a three-island confederate archipelago off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.

The island's inhabitants woke up to the sound of automatic gunfire but it was not until later in the day that news of a coup was announced.

In a succinct statement read on state radio, the army said it had deposed the island ruler, Lieutenant Colonel Said Abeid Abdessalam, and placed him under arrest. It also said a military committee had been set up to discuss the issue of succession.

No casualties have been reported and life is said to be returning to normal on Anjouan. Reports also say many Comorans have welcomed the departure of Abdessalam, criticised for not doing enough to improve the economy. Some civil servants complain they have not been paid for thirty months.

Within the army, disgruntled officers seeking a pay increase have accused the deposed leader of corruption. But it is not clear whether these grievances are directly linked to coup.

Anjouan has had a long history of political turmoil. In a 1974 referendum, it chose independence from France and joined the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros.

More recently, it has been engaged in reconciliation with the rest of the federation, following a 1997 secession attempt. Many Comorans are now concerned that the new coup may undermine that process. Anjouan has seen nineteen coups, four of them successful, in the past twenty five years.