Dated events associated with this case. Each event is a shared record: the same event appears identically wherever it is relevant.
· Declaration
Before the December 1974 referendum, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed the unity and territorial integrity of the Comoro Archipelago and recorded France's commitment that the vote would be organised on an "archipelago-wide" basis.
Significance here: Set the UN's pre-referendum position that the Comoro Archipelago, including Mayotte, should accede to independence as a single territory.
· Referendum or popular consultation
Voters in the Comoro Archipelago voted on independence on 22 December 1974; the archipelago-wide result was 94.57% in favour, but a majority on the island of Mayotte voted against, which France later cited to retain Mayotte as a French territory.
Significance here: The vote whose divergent island-by-island results became the basis of the later dispute over Mayotte.
· Declaration
The Chamber of Deputies of the Comoro Archipelago unilaterally declared the independence of the islands of Anjouan, Grande Comore and Mohéli on 6 July 1975; Mayotte's deputies abstained and the island remained under French administration.
Significance here: The formal, unilateral assertion of independence that preceded UN admission by four months.
· Declaration
President Ahmed Abdallah was overthrown on 3 August 1975, just 27 days after independence, by French mercenary Bob Denard acting for Comorian politicians Said Mohamed Jaffar and Ali Soilih.
Significance here: The first of several coups, several involving Bob Denard, that marked the Comoros' early post-independence politics.
· Recognition
Following the Security Council's recommendation, adopted without France taking part in the vote, the General Assembly admitted the Comoros to UN membership while reaffirming that the archipelago, including Mayotte, formed a single territory.
Significance here: Formal international recognition of Comorian statehood, extended by the UN over the whole archipelago despite France's retention of Mayotte.
Dates show their real precision. Approximate or uncertain dates are labelled and never converted into an exact day.