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.

I’ll start with the news.

• ANALYSIS-Madagascar could face more instability (Reuters)

“He does not have a real autonomous power base except possibly the urban mob in Antananarivo and I don’t think that takes you far,” Ellis added.

…

• Madagascar Deals With A Leadership Crisis (NPR)
• New Madagascar leader sets agenda (Al Jazeera)

• SADC Leaders Meet Thursday, Likely to Suspend Madagascar’s New Government (VOA News)

“In Africa we have 54 countries. We cannot say because we have coups in Madagascar, Mauritania, and Guinea that’s the trend. The trend is democracy, democracy, democracy. Yes we have to put a stop on this thing to happen, and the only way to do that is to send a clear message to those who follow this pattern that this is not unacceptable in Africa and in the SADC region,” Salomao said.

• Madagascar’s highest court has backed the handover of power to interim leader Andry Rajoelina (BBC News)
• Norway freezes aid to Madagascar (The Norway Post)
• Southern Africa rejects Madagascar’s new leader (The Associated Press)
• Madagascar’s new president suspends parliament (AFP)

“Honestly, I don’t see why they would sever ties now if they were not dissuaded by Ravalomanana’s governance,” said Roindefo.

• Mozambique: Guebuza At Talks On Madagascar Crisis (allAfrica.com)
• Madagascar dissolves parliament (Al Jazeera English)
• Africans reject Madagascar leader (BBC News)
• New president: Madagascar never to separate from France (China View) WHAT?!

Andry Nirina Rajoelina, Madagascar’s newly-installed president, declared here on Thursday that the Indian Ocean Island country would never separate itself from France.

• Citizens in Madagascar React to New Government (VOA News)
• US calls Madagascar change in power ‘undemocratic’ (AFP)

“We view this as an undemocratic transfer of power,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

“And we’re going to take a look and evaluate and see what … kind of an impact it’s going to have on our programs and activities with that government,” Wood added.

There is so, so, so much news happening right now. I can’t keep up with it all, much less tear it apart for analysis. I’m going to do what I did yesterday, and give you some of the headlines. You’ll hear more from me later, as I process things.

• ‘I fear a civil war’ (BBC News)

Do I have the energy?

That’s a good question. I don’t know. Not today anyway.

It’s a very gloomy day.

It is like we are in Africa.

• Madagascar president: Giving up power was ‘very hard’ (3rd Roundup) (Monsters and Critics)
• Why Ravalomanana is out (The Observers) This one is very interesting…

• Madagascar risks condemnation after change at top (Reuters)
• Madagascar is blessed with resources but cursed by politics (Telegraph UK)

• FACTBOX-Madagascar’s new president Rajoelina (Reuters)
• ‘Change needed’ in Madagascar (BBC News)
• Madagascar’s top court accepts change of president (The Associated Press)

“I’m not sure it’s really over,” said Emeline Raharinandrasana, a retired office worker. “Is this new authority legal? If not, will the international community continue to help us? That worries me the most.”

• Troubled Madagascar’s oil hopes (BBC World Service)
• Presidential palace looted (BBC Video)
• UPDATE 1-Madagascar’s new leader says Daewoo land deal off (Reuters)

“In the constitution, it is stipulated that Madagascar’s land is neither for sale nor for rent, so the agreement with Daewoo is cancelled,” Rajoelina told reporters.

“We are not against the idea of working with investors, but if we want to sell or rent out land, we have to change the constitution, you have to consult the people. So at this hour the deal is cancelled.”

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.

Riot police patrol Antananarivo (photo courtesy of Avylavitra)

Today on Global Voices Online, Lova brings us so many great links to blogs and websites with firsthand accounts of the violence that has continued to spread through the capital the past couple of days (weeks, months…).

And from madonline:

For the first time, the police have banned the access of pro-Andry Rajoelina place on 13 May, in the center of the capital. While the protesters gathered regularly on this place on the Avenue of Independence for several weeks, nobody expected that the place is cordoned off and on 4 March.

There’s info from Reuters about the tear gas fired at today’s protesters too.