Comoros demanded on Thursday that France extradite rebel leader Mohamed Bacar, who is wanted by the Indian Ocean Archipelago for crimes against humanity. Troops had to fire teargas in order to stop demonstrations against the former colonel.

The self-declared leader of the Anjouan Island fled to the French-run island of Mayotte after being thrown out by the African Union and Comorian troops in an offensive assault. Anjouan residents blame Bacar of ruling through the threat of violence and using torture and intimidation against them. The former colonel asked France for political asylum while the Comoran government wants his extradition.

“We have notified France that we want Colonel Mohamed Bacar and all the fugitive rebels to be extradited to Comoros,” Foreign Affairs Minister Houmadi Abdallah said quoted by Reuters. “We reminded the French authorities ... that the international arrest warrants against them are still in effect,” he added.

Hundreds of activists chanted anti-French slogans near France’s embassy and according to BBC’s reporters, the embassy is currently under the protection of the Comorian police, in order to keep the crowd about 200m away.

The island of Mayotte is the single one of the Comoros islands that has opted to remain French when the others achieved independence in 1975. However, both countries are claiming sovereignty.

The government in Comoros warned that if Bacar was not returned that could cause a diplomatic crisis. On Wednesday, the Comoros authorities named the vice-president of the Comoros, Ikililou Dhoinine, as the new transitional leader for Anjouan.

Nearly 600 Comoran and AU troops landed on Comoros on Tuesday in order to retake control of the Anjouan Island from Bacar and the Comoran residents welcomed them as they were guarding the streets. The Comoros archipelago had a hectic history and faced with more than 20 coups.