WORLD> Africa
|
WORLD> Africa
|
|
Tanks on the move in Madagascar's capital
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-17 10:29
The African Union condemned what it called an attempted coup by the opposition and urged the people of Madagascar to respect the constitution. "The situation in Madagascar is an internal conflict. It is an attempted coup d'etat. We condemn the attempted coup d'etat," Edouard Alo-Glele, Benin's envoy to Ethiopia, said after an emergency meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council. Public Discontent Rajoelina, 34, a former disc jockey who was sacked as Antananarivo's mayor last month, says Ravalomanana is an autocrat running the island like a private company. The president's supporters call Rajoelina a troublemaker bent on seizing power illegally. While Rajoelina has tapped into widespread public discontent, especially with high levels of poverty, many inhabitants are fed up with the unrest. The $390 million-a-year tourism sector is nosediving, and foreign investors in the important mining and oil exploration sectors are watching events nervously. The United Nations has sent Tiebile Drame, Mali's former foreign minister, to mediate. |
