The Comoros marks 50 years of independence from France on Sunday but an ongoing territorial dispute over the island of Mayotte – a former part of the Comorian archipelago which chose to remain part of France – hangs heavy over the celebrations.
Geographically, the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean is made up of four islands: Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli and Mayotte. The first three gained independence from France in 1975, but Mayotte remained under French control – a status that Comorian authorities have never accepted.
