Madagascar – Army mutiny

The crisis in Madagascar shows no sign of abating. Last week, there was an attempt to arrest Andry Rajoelina, self-proclaimed president of the so-called ‘High Council of Transition’ and the leader of the opposition to President Marc Ravalomanana. On Friday evening, Jeune Afrique reports, Rajoelina took refuge in the French Embassy in Antananarivo.

On Monday, the tension mounted a notch when there was an army mutiny in the capital. Madagascar Tribune reports that soldiers in one barracks refused to take orders because, had they done so, they would have had to repress any demonstrations in the capital. There were rumours that the presidential guard were going to attack the barracks, but they were quashed and no intervention took place.

Obviously, these developments demonstrate that the situation is far from stable. There had been plans to hold further negotiations later this week with the participation of wider sections of society. However, it is unclear whether these will go ahead.

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