Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, a former president of Comoros and a critic of President Azali Assoumani has been placed under house arrest in order to preserve public order and peace.

A Monday statement from the nation’s Interior ministry said the decision was taken due to the actions of Sambi in recent days. It added that if the ex-president needs to travel, an application must be submitted to the department responsible for public security.

Reports have it that on Friday, Sambi and Azali met in the country’s Great Mosque for prayers and at the end of the religious service, Sambi’s supporters booed the incumbent president.

Sambi, who ruled Comoros from 2006 to 2011, on Sunday however denounced his house arrest, stressing that such acts by the incumbent government threatens  democracy in the country..

In his recent public pronouncement, Sambi who just returned home after a six-month absence early this month denounced Azali’s decision to suspend the Constitutional Court and his plan to hold a referendum to revise the country’s Constitution, slated for 29 July.

Azali Assoumani has however not yet given details of the institutional reform he plans, but he has already planned an early presidential election in 2019 if the referendum is approved.

Azali, a former coup leader, was elected president in 2016. In theory, his mandate expires in 2021.