African Union troops have been arriving on the Comoros island of Moheli in preparation for a military offensive to retake the island of Anjouan.

The government of the Indian Ocean archipelago refused to recognize the re-election of Colonel Mohamed Bacar on Anjouan in June 2007 beginning a tense stand-off with the island.

At least 200 Sudanese and 300 Tanzanian troops have so far landed in the port town of Fomboni, the AFP news agency reported.

Senegalese troops are also expected to arrive in the coming days, while Libya has provided transport assistance for the AU-sponsored operation.

"The invasion will be very soon," Abdul Bacar Soihir, head of the cabinet of the Comoros union, told The Associated Press news agency on Thursday.

More than 1,000 African troops are expected to take part in the invasion of Anjouan, supporting about 400 Comoran soldiers.

"We are happy to be here ... The Comoran people are our Muslim brothers and we are proud to be able to help them," Yahya Abdallah, the Sudanese commander, said as he arrived with a deployment of paratroopers.

Re-election 'illegal'

Each one of the Comoros federation's three islands has its own president and government institutions and Bacar has ruled Anjouan since 2002, but his re-election last year was deemed illegal by both the central authorities and the AU.

"We are soon going to be able to solve this matter," a Comoran army lieutenant told the AFP news agency.

"We have waited too long to please the international community and wait for these African troops."

However, regional power South Africa and former colonial rulers France said diplomacy should not be abandoned.

"We remain ... in support of dialogue and a peaceful solution to this crisis," Pascale Andreani, French foreign ministry spokeswoman, said.

"Colonel Bacar must, for that, immediately confirm his agreement to organize elections in Anjouan in the near future and allow the African Union troops to take position at the port and airport in Anjouan to prepare to make the elections safe."

The African Union is backing Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, the archipelago's president, to protect the territorial integrity of the Comoros. Bacar has said he is seeking Anjouan's independence from the union.

The archipelago has survived 19 coups or coup attempts since it acquired independence from France in 1975.

PHOTO CAPTION

Tanzanian African Union (AU) troops disembark in the port of Fomboni in the Comoros Islands on 20 March.

Al-Jazeera