One dead in Comoros protests sparked by high fuel prices

Days of protests in Comoros over rising fuel prices, stemming from the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, turned deadly Saturday when one person died following overnight clashes with police, officials said.

A youth was apparently fatally shot at dawn when a group "tried to disarm" police officers clearing the streets in Mpage, a town on the island of Anjouan that is part of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean, according to a local judge speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The prosecutors' office on the island said in a statement that "a tragic event occurred... that led to the death of one person and injuries to five people", without giving further details.

The protests, and a strike by truckers, shopkeepers and fishers, are against a hike in fuel prices announced a week ago by the government, including a 46-per-cent rise in diesel.

Several small nations dependent on imports of petroleum products are struggling with the extended near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

Iran has severely restricted the passage of oil and gas tankers through the narrow strait in retaliation for the US-Israeli war launched against it at the end of February. The United States is conducting a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

Given that the strait used to see around 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas shipments in peacetime, smaller countries, especially island nations, are suffering fuel shortages and consequent price increases.