spotlight madagascar

Today is and probably will be known forever as Samedi Rouge, or Red Saturday. That’s because the police opened fire on a demonstration outside the Presidential Palace and killed a bunch of people. Some reports say 23, some say 25, some are up to 100. Who knows what’s true and what’s not. It’s tough reading this morning.  There are over 40 Alerts in my inbox, but I can’t bring myself to read all of them right now.

I started this post on Sunday. I am now at home in Brattleboro and it’s Monday morning. From where I was in New York, I couldn’t access the YouTube video entitled Samedi Rouge. I am not going to embed it here, so follow the link if you want to watch it, but I’m warning you, it is not for the faint of heart. There is actual shooting and actual killing and actual dead people. Some of which I swore, through the pixellated film quality, that I knew. This will not be surprising for those who know me, but I wept for Madagascar this morning. YouTube Video: Samedi Rouge.

I’m finished for today.

After a couple of days of apparent calm, violence has started again in Madagascar.  According to AFP, police killed 23 protesters today. That’s a pretty big number.  The New York Times is reporting that “Madagascar’s main foreign donors, meanwhile, have suspended financial aid pending clarification of the management of public funds, the European Union envoy Jean-Claude Boidin said Friday.”

There are also reports from Al Jazeera English:

Police fire on Madagascar protests

Police reportedly opened fired on protesters marching towards office used by the president [AFP] At least 30 people have been killed after police opened fire on an opposition protest in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, local reports say. Supporters of Andry Rajoelina, an opposition leader and former mayor of Antananarivo, were marching towards offices used by Marc Ravalomanana, the president, when the shooting began on Saturday. “Up to now 25 are dead,” a senior police officer at the scene told the Reuters news agency. Fanja Saholiarisoa, a journalist in Antananarivo, told Al Jazeera that hundreds of people had been wounded in the violence. “The mortuary is full and the hospital is full. On TV there is a special announcement calling on people who have cars to come and pick up the injured people from the hospitals,” she said. Doctors said about 180 people arrived at the city’s main Ravoahangy Andrianavalona hospital. Rajoelina accused the government of murdering civilians. “The people were not armed, they only had their courage,” he said on his Viva Radio station immediately after the shooting.

Reuters India as well as Reuters UK also picked up the story. I had a text this morning that the situation was featured on NPR, but I can’t find it yet.   I’m extremely worried about this.

The Associated Press has this to say:

The stakes in Madagascar, known for its eco-tourism and vanilla production, have risen since oil was discovered three years ago but most of its people still live in poverty.

Lova at Global Voices has been covering the story from the beginning.