South African soldiers maintain peace on Comoros

The African Union has sent hundreds of mainly South African troops to the Comoros Islands to ensure a peaceful election in Sunday's final round of the island group’s presidential poll. Comoran troops are being confined to barracks. A total of 300-thousand voters will choose between three candidates who were selected in the first round. The BBC says Sunday's polls are being seen as a crucial test of the islands' power-sharing constitution. If it succeeds, it will be the first peaceful change of government since independence from France almost 30 ago, during which time the country has seen 19 coups and coup attempts.