MORONI: A Comorian football fan who was shot by security forces holding off a rush of supporters at a stadium before a World Cup qualifier has died, his family and the government said on Tuesday.
Fahad Moindze, 21, died in hospital in Tanzania, where he was airlifted last Thursday suffering from a wound to the head, a relative told AFP.
Authorities said some fans had tried to force their way into Malouzini stadium in Moroni before a match against Ghana on November 21. Comoros pulled off a shock 1-0 win in the game.
Government spokesman Houmed Msaidie said last week the “unfortunate” incident was caused by the “accidental handling” of a weapon, as security forces responded to a large number of people trying to enter the stadium.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Fakridine Mahamoud apologised for the incident, adding an investigation has been opened. The soldier who fired the shot has been arrested, he added.
The Comoros’ national team official fan club sent condolences to Moindze’s family, adding in a Facebook post that it would lodge a complaint with authorities over the death.
Many in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of 900,000 people reacted angrily over the death.
“Police blunders must not go unpunished,“ Djamal El-Dine Bacar, a lawyer, wrote on Facebook.
“Yet another victim of incompetence and inhumanity,“ posted Nadia Tourqui, who works for a civil society group. -AFP
