Check this out:

With another change of Madagascar’s constitution on the horizon, some are asking if the fundamental law on which the state is built is used to benefit only those with the power to change it.

And until the country’s politicians solve the political crisis, it is hard to convince people otherwise.

But this ambitious project seeks to promote discussion and debate – and ultimately to help people claim their rights as Malagasy citizens.

Madagascar unveils ‘cartoon constitution’ (BBC)

Protests again, more killed.  There have been lulls in the news over the past couple of weeks, but the violence always leaks back in.  I’ve read in several papers that Rajoelina has issued a warrant for Ravalomanana, who still plans to return to Madagascar in a couple of weeks.  Things are not getting better.

From the BBC:

One person has been killed and at least 13 others injured during anti-government protests in Madagascar, hospital sources say.

…

Security forces used tear gas to break up the crowds, then opened fire.

Our correspondent saw at least one person shot in the back at close range, and says cars have been set on fire close to government buildings.

From AFP

I was in class all morning, taking notes on my computer, and these little alerts kept popping up. I was really missing out. I’ll just run the most interesting headlines by you:

• Madagascar’s president resigns (The Times)
• Military handed power in Madagascar (Al Jazeera)
• Madagascar president holed up in palace (The Associated Press)
• Madagascar’s president ‘steps down’ (The Independent, from Reuters)
• Madagascar president steps down (BBC — notice the slight difference from above)
• Madagascar’s ‘young pretender’ (BBC)

From WarNewsUpdates

• ‘But Sir, Madagascar is not Africa’ (Radio Netherlands, love this headline)

MOST RECENT THING I HAVE:

Madagascar military leaders to back Rajoelina (Reuters)

“They are going to make a statement. They are going to say that they are against a military government and that the power should be given to Andry Rajoelina,” a senior military official told Reuters as a ceremony was being prepared.

Wow.

Also, wikipedia is all aflutter with Rajoelina‘s listing. Needs a lot of editing.

I got an email this morning from a friend in Ft. Dauphin. He said he hasn’t seen any problems down there yet, but he has heard about tanks being sent to the Presidential Palace. If there’s this kind of fracas going on in the capital, how are people going to get out of the country?

So, after I read his email, I went to my google alerts and my reader, and the other places I usually go for news. I guess I’ll start with the violence towards journalists (someone asked me why I don’t read Malagasy newspapers, and I had some garbled response about how I didn’t trust the sources…I meant to include that the reporters and journalists are under a huge amount of pressure, and now being threatened and sent to the hospital for doing their jobs.) This is scary stuff from allAfrica.com:

Reporters Without Borders today expressed its renewed concern after five newspapers stopped publishing and several journalists were threatened and physically assaulted during the political upheaval of the past few weeks.

I don’t understand. Remember that post I did on free speech a while ago? I guess that’s one of the first freedoms to go under military rule.

Now we can move to the alleged tanks. This comes translated into English from madonline, a Malagasy online newspaper:

Abandoned by a significant military, Marc Ravalomanana is mobilizing his supporters. In uniform or not.

Negotiations are underway to detect uniformed men remained loyal to the president. An urgent appeal was also launched by the radio Mada, belonging to the President for his supporters to join the palace Iavoloha where Marc Ravalomanana is removed, because it seems a planned attack by the rebels.

Meanwhile, the pro-Andry Rajoelina start to conquer the ministries. Jeudi, le Thursday, Prime Minister of parallel government, Monja Roindefo, entered the palace Mahazoarivo without a hitch. It was preceded by mutineers. The guards have opposed no resistance. And the meeting between Monja Roindefo and Prime Minister Charles Rabemananjara legal took place in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. The two men made no statement at the end of the interview.

Geez.

We have the favorites reporting on this tank crisis. Al Jazeera English ["Dissident soldiers claim to have deployed tanks in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, threatening to use them to fight "mercenaries" hired amid the country's political crisis], The Associated Press, BBC News, and Reuters (a couple of times). They all say basically the same thing. The mutinous troops have rolled into the capital in tanks (or armored cars, as my friend tells me — I guess tanks sound better in the news). According to representatives, they’re in a secret location, ready to be deployed in case mercenaries come. WHO ARE THESE MERCENARIES? I am not getting this. Maybe I’m thick-skulled, but I really, really think this whole thing is going wrong wrong wrong. They are demanding that R8 surrender. They’ve also begun to infiltrate the ministries. Again.

“The president appeals to the people of Iavoloha (on the outskirts of Antananarivo) to organise themselves to thwart all movements of mutinous troops towards the palace in order to protect the president and the palace,” said a statement read on President Marc Ravalomanana’s private radio station.

-Reuters

Finally, The Red Cross is ramping up to deal with the aftermath of this recent development. Get strapped in for the weekend, guys, it’s going to be a doozy. I’ll be here.

From Al Jazeera English:

Anti-government protesters in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, say foreign companies are exploiting the country’s natural resources at the expense of the people.

Some locals say their way of life is under threat from multinational mining company Rio Tinto, which has a 60-year lease to dig up 6,000 hectares of Madagascar’s forests.

Al Jazeera’s Jane Dutton reports.

BBC News reports: “Madagascar’s defence minister has resigned after being confronted by a group of soldiers in his office and Rajoelina is in the French Embassy”.  Also, there’s another article on from BBC today about the 72-hour crisis-solving deadline given by the army general to the two rivals.  The UN and the AU haven’t been able to fix things up to now, so it’ll be interesting to see what the next couple of days bring.  The army also claims to be in charge of the country, and looting has continued for 2 days in the capital.

AFP has more to say about the looming of military rule.  The following may put a damper on my post-graduate school plans:

Updating an earlier travel warning, the State Department also recommended US citizens to defer “all but essential travel to Madagascar because of escalating civil unrest”.

My travel is essential.  I’ll still go.

UPDATE 1 from Reuters:

“I remain president. The country is calm,” 59-year-old Marc Ravalomanana told reporters at the presidential palace, saying he had been elected by the people of Madagascar.

Video from the BBC, along with a more detailed article

And video from Euronews.

And an update 36 minutes ago fron CNN.

That’s all for Saturday.

BBC NEWS | Africa | ‘Ghost town’ call in Madagascar.