Madagascar soldiers join protesters amid coup allegation

A subject portion successful Madagascar says it is taking power of the country’s information forces arsenic President Andry Rajoelina alleged an “attempt to prehend powerfulness illegally” was nether way.

The CAPSAT contingent, based successful the Soanierana territory connected the outskirts of the capital, Antananarivo, joined thousands of antigovernment demonstrators connected Saturday, calling connected information forces to “refuse orders to shoot” and condemning constabulary enactment taken to quell much than 2 weeks of youth-led protests that person rocked the Indian Ocean island.

The objection successful the capital, Antananarivo, was 1 of the largest since the protestation question erupted connected September 25, sparked by choler implicit powerfulness and h2o shortages.

Police utilized stun grenades and teardrop state successful attempts to disperse the crowds of respective 1000 people. Few near arsenic soldiers from the CAPSAT contingent of administrative and method officers entered the metropolis successful service vehicles to articulation the demonstrators.

They were greeted with cheers from protesters, who called out, “Thank you!” to the uniformed soldiers, immoderate waving Madagascar flags.

On Sunday, Rajoelina released a connection saying: “An effort to prehend powerfulness illegally and by force, contrary to the Constitution and to antiauthoritarian principles, is presently nether way.”

“Dialogue is the lone mode guardant and the lone solution to the situation presently facing the country,” helium said portion calling for unity.

Madagascar is 1 of the world’s poorest countries and has experienced predominant fashionable uprisings since its independency from France successful 1960.

Faced with near-daily protests since September 25, Rajoelina dismissed his authorities connected September 30 and appointed an service wide arsenic premier minister, but the determination failed to quell the uprising.